Rainy Day Street Art

by Startacus Admin

If you’re like us, you don’t like rainy days very much and much prefer to be baked in the sun. Rain can be dreary, dull and it definitely isn’t something that inspires us to be productive and to get things done! Not really very entrepreneurial weather, wouldn't you agree?

However there’s no rule saying that you can’t turn a negative into a positive and here at Startacus we love it when people take initiative and turn that negative right on its head!

That in fact is exactly what has happened in Seattle, as Peregrine Church, a local artist has decided that he wants to spread some joy across the city.

Seattle is known for its rainy weather, and much like the UK they get their fair share of it. Thankfully, Peregrine’s project, appropriately named ‘Rainworks’ aims to turn the city’s weakness into a strength by scattering affirmative and thoughtful images across the city.

To do this he uses non-toxic, biodegradable, super hydrophobic coating which is more commonly known as NeverWet to spray paint different phrases and artwork on the streets.

So how does it work? Well, when rain inevitably falls, the coating means that the area that was sprayed stays completely bone-dry. This gives formation to quirky, entertaining and sometimes quite amusing phrases and imagery, such as “error 404: sun not found!”. The spray doesn’t just work on concrete though, it works on any surface that is treated with the spray and means that any liquid will run right off!

We can’t help but love this idea, as it means if you happen to be having a not-so-great day and need a little pick-me-up, rainworks can help you turn that frown upside down! In today's world, it’s tough to come by something that means something as simple as rain can easily spread infectious happiness. We can just imagine dragging our heels to work on a Monday morning only to be made feel a little bit better by looking at our feet and realising that “the ground is now lava!”

The water-repellent spray is completely eco-friendly and while it is only temporary, designs can remain intact for months before they completely disappear. There are currently upwards of twenty different images dotted around the city, but Peregrine fully intends to keep creating more in order to encourage people to embrace the rainy weather and be happy regardless of what the skies say.

As well as this, a step by step how-to tutorial will soon be on the rainworks website meaning that anyone who is feeling particularly creative and cheerful can create their own rainworks! Of course, if you decide to do so, just remember to keep things positive!

This rather reminds us of the Playable City Awards, a technology/art competition that takes annually in Bristol, that encourages people to find fun creative ways of engaging with urban environments.

• #rainworks
• #innovative
• #creativity
• #inspiring
• #positive

Published on: 14th May 2015