Cool Stuff: Rain Activated Art

I think this would be a neat thing to post every week. There’s all sorts of Cool Stuff online, new techniques that we can apply to storytelling.

I stumbled across this video a few weeks ago, which describes a public arts project called Rainworks. This video takes place in Seattle, where it rains & pours, but I think it would apply to Gainesville and other wet places, too.

It’s such a simple thing, to use hydrophobic liquids. When the rain darkens the pavement, these stencils can stay dry. So many messages can be told this way — something as simple as “Stay Dry Out There” to more complicated things, like hopscotch.

But why can’t we use it for journalism? Wouldn’t it be neat to put headlines, facts, promotions on the concrete in this way? In college, we already chalk sidewalks with announcements. This could transform a city. It can become a fond quirk. It has so much potential.

I’ve not found the exact chemical Rainworks uses, but variations are available at Home Depot and Amazon.

This would be an interesting experiment when the summer rains return to Gainesville. What do you guys think?