If you thought Melbourne couldn’t get any cooler, you were wrong. Random International’s Rain Room has officially made its way to the Southern Hemisphere, debuting in the Jackalope Pavilion in St Kilda as part of an extremely limited art showcase.

Rain Room is a 100 square metre field of continuous rainfall that is a responsive environment engaging all the senses. What you will see is millions of water droplets responding to your presence by ceasing to fall wherever movement is detected, allowing you to be fully immersed in the rain while simultaneously protected from it… genius!

Housed in a purpose-built pavilion by March Studio, Rain Room is a permanent part of the Jackalope Art Collection. With what is a true architectural statement, the Jackalope Pavilion is a creative and artistic space through which public art and activations, like Rain Room, can be showcased in an urban context.

Rain Room

Picture this: arrive to a somewhat secret location housed on a rooftop in St Kilda. As you leave the elevator, you’ll be confronted by the Jackalope Pavilion; a nimbus-like installation that is home to Rain Room. As you are ushered through, let its mystique and grandeur enthral you.

With the sound of splattering rain pour deafening, it’s time to walk through the rain. What comes next is a physical experience that both deprives and intensifies the senses. It invites an exploration of the individual actions and emotions that can be generated by this unique, counter-intuitive environment. The installation also seeks to explore how human relationships to each other and nature are increasingly mediated through technology.

“Art is a significant part of Jackalope’s undertaking to provide transformative and immersive experiences,” says Louis Li, Jackalope founder.

“Rain Room is our most ambitious curation to date; the work represents the spirit of our hotels – an interplay between imagination, mystery and science.”

Rain Room

Rain Room is sculptural, theatrical, immersive and cinematic – and one of the most impactful works of art in recent years”, adds Katrina Sedgwick, CEO of ACMI, who Jackalope Art Collection has partnered with to bring the installation to Melbourne.

Having already sold over 20,000 tickets, Rain Room will be extending its activation until Sunday 27 October, but get in quick, as tickets are selling fast. This is one experience not to be missed!

Rain Room will be housed within the Jackalope Pavilion on the corner of Acland and Jackson Street, St Kilda and is open seven days a week, Sunday to Wednesday from 10am-6pm and Thursday to Saturday from 10am-9pm. Tickets are on sale here.