Rainworks were created in Seattle by Peregrin Church. We first saw the ‘Rainwork’ video on Facebook and instantly fell in love with the whole concept. Belfast and Seattle have one thing in common: the rain. It’s one of those things that people love to moan about, but let’s face it; it’s going to rain whether we like it or not, so we may as well use it to our advantage right?!
So what exactly is a Rainwork I hear you cry? It involves using a magical concoction known as a superhydrophobic chemical to spray messages or designs on the ground, which only appear when it rains. The beauty about it is that it’s non-toxic and biodegradable, meaning it’s the perfect eco-friendly medium.
We could see the positive impact that Rainworks had on the people of Seattle, and could see the potential for the citizens of Belfast. We called up Dean and decided to make it happen.
First we had a brain storming session to decide what kind of messages we’d like to portray. We thought that using local Norn Iron slang such as ‘it’s bucketin' so it is’ and ‘get your coat, it’s lashin’ would go down well. We wanted to keep them fairly simple so that each passer-by could understand and relate to them.