As always I used my 'arrive first thing on a Friday' tactic but sadly that was in vain this time. I arrived at 10.45am, before the installation even opens, and the queue was already huge. The place in the queue at which I started was soon revealed with a large sign to be the 'approximately 4 hours from this point' area. Happily this proved to be a bit of an over estimate as I fairly swiftly surpassed the subsequent '2 hours from this point' sign. After about 2 hours of alternatively sitting, standing, reading, listening to podcasts, getting bored and slowly losing the will to live I asked my queue neighbours to please kindly save my spot so that I could go to Costa and buy a coffee to revive me. When I returned with my mocha I was reenergized, and I realised I was on the home straight - nearly there!
At about quarter past one I finally entered The Curve, after a gallery assistant warning me that I was most likely to get wet as I was wearing dark clothing. Well really, if you come to something called the Rain Room and you don't want to get wet, you've come to the wrong place.
You enter a darkened space, you hear the rain splashing, rebounding off the floor, feel the moisture in the air - before eventually coming across a distinct area where the rain is, very precisely and directionally, coming down. It sometimes falls on you, but it mostly neatly surrounds you.
It is quite a stunning installation - immersive, obviously, but also interactive - the installation responds to your movements and sounds, so that it constantly changes and adapts in accordance to what you are doing. I liked the fact that what is essentially some very clever programming achieves the impression that you are controlling the rain. The forces of nature appear to have been harnessed in this room.
Visually the installation is also incredibly beautiful - it actually reminded me a bit of Olafur Elliason's Model for a Timeless Garden, currently at the Hayward's Light Show, in the way that it created a 'sculptural' installation using light, darkness and water.
I think the experience was definitely worth the wait - and I'm glad that they are restricting the number of people allowed in at any time, because it would completely ruin the experience if there were 50 people in there all at once.
If you haven't been yet, then I'm afraid you can expect queues longer than what I experienced when you go - next week is half term, and the following week is the last week of the installation, so it's bound to be busy. I'm not trying to put anyone off but go prepared - with some entertainment, food and drink to keep you going whilst you wait. Because wait you will. But hey, good things really do come to those who wait.
Random International: Rain Room
Barbican
4 October 2012 - 3 March 2013
Open Daily 11am - 8pm, Thu until 10pm
Last admission to the queue 3 hours before closing; on weekends 4 or 5 hours before closing
Free admission
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