Post #77

Peregrine Church and Rainworks

While doing research for my Creative Intervention Project I spent a lot of time looking at how the use of water can be used as more than just a statement or a rallying call for the creation of public art and other ruptures.  One such rabbit hole I explored, in this regard, was Peregrine Church and his Rainworks Project.

Peregrine Church, a Seattle-based street artist, uses a modern form of invisible ink called super-hydrophobic coating, which remains invisible until activated by water, to create his series of public works titled Rainworks (Dovas). This technology, used by Church, was first employed by sanitation companies in Germany to discourage public urination (Dovas). Super-hydrophobic paint is both non-toxic, posing no real threat to the environment due to runoff, and non-permanent, with artwork having the potential of remaining for six months to one year depending on weather conditions (Dovas).

Rainworks are diverse and can range from artistic drawings to fun or motivational messages to hop-scotch games that can only be played on a rainy day (Dovas). When discussing his work, Church stated: “I’m just trying to make the world a more interesting place and in this case, by giving people a reason to be excited for rainy days” (Dovas). Today, Rainworks has been getting paid commissions; however, Church has made it clear that he will not blatantly advertise anything with his work, stating that it would conflict with the purpose of Rainworks:  to make rainy days a reason to smile (Dovas).

While considering Church and Rainworks I was reminded of the chapter we read by Miwon Kwon, “One Place after Another,” on the notions of site-specificity and reclaiming space. When looking at Rainworks one is instantly drawn into the here and now, it’s an artwork that can only be experienced in the shadow of a rainy day. The viewing of Church’s work can only be viewed when wet, and Church feeds into this imagery with messages linked to water and images that would be uncommon near a water source. This notion leans into Kwon’s theory of Site Specificity, how we view the subject of public art “in sensorial immediacy of spatial extension and temporal duration,” rather than being an “epiphany of a disembodied eye” (Kwon, 33). Church’s art would not survive in the disembodied white room with the harsh lights of a gallery, nor would it be as impactful plastered against the side of a building.  Rainworks are meant to be interacted with, and it only has relevance at the moment that water is applied to cement. In a way, Rainworks possess a type of magic, an instantaneous moment meant to bring joy, just as Church originally intended. 


Works Cited

Hayden, Brian. “Discover Buffalo's Public Art with This Neighborhood Mural Guide.” Discover Buffalo's Public Art with This Neighborhood Mural Guide., https://www.visitbuffaloniagara.com/public-art/. 

Kwon, Miwon. “One Place after Another: Notes on Site Specificity.” October, vol. 80, 1997, pp. 85–110. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/778809.

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Amanda Laverdure

Peregrine Church and Rainworks

Peregrine Church and Rainworks