The Hyundai Rain Room

LOS ANGELES - A downpour filled a dark room in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Thursday, as if a rainstorm were hitting hit sunny California.

However, when people spread their hands into it, the water fall paused. People could walk through the rain without getting completely soaked. “It is like the miracle of Moses,” an onlooker said.

The 230-square meter room is fitted with a 1,500-liter water tank and a camera and sensor to detect the rainfall and prevent water from dropping on viewers.

The piece, named Rain Room, is an interactive art installation by noted artists’ group Random International, and will go on display until March 6, 2015. “Rain Room is a remarkable work of art, whose creative courage and extraordinary concept have captivated audiences around the world,” said Gary Friedman, chairman and CEO of Random International, a collaborative studio for experimental practice within contemporary art. 

The Rain Room is the first installment of “The Hyundai Project: Art and Technology,” a long-term partnership between Hyundai Motor’s and the global art circle. This includes 10-year ties with the LACMA sealed in March, as well as another 11-year deal with the Tate Modern in the U.K.

Hyundai believes its Mecenat activities will also support the company’s vision to join the ranks of global luxury carmakers with the launch of its premium brand, Genesis.

“Through the partnership with the LACMA, we want to show that cars are more than transportation tools. They are means to a cultural lifestyle, a space to share valuable time with your families and life partners that can show off people’s values in life. The Rain Room is also a good opportunity for us to explore the marriage of art and technology,” a company spokesman stated.

Apart from the Rain Room, Hyundai has also sponsored the museum’s purchase of “Miracle Mile” by Robert Irwin and “Light Reignfall” by James Turrell. An exhibition of the prominent visual artist Diana Thater, “Diana Thater: The Sympathetic Imagination,” will also be held at the museum from Nov. 22-Feb. 21, 2016. 

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