The Hidden Art of Peregrine Church (VIDEO)

Peregrine Church and his helpers Xack Fischer and Forest Tressider, he created Rainworks – rain-activated art and positive messages that stay hidden up until it starts raining.

His works are all created on the concrete of the streets and usually take form of inspiring messages for the public such as “Carpe Diem”, or fancy graphics depicting mostly water drops and sea life. The art can be mostly found around Washington. In his interview for the Huffington Post, Church stated that the main purpose of his creations is to transform rainy days into days people would look forward to. This way, he wants to try to make people happier.

To create this special rain-activated art and the happy messages, Church uses stencils and a super-hydrophobic coating that is non-toxic and ecofriendly. After spraying it on the concrete, the coating then prevents the area from getting wet. When dry, the designs remain hidden, but when the pavement is wet during the rain, they begin to appear slowly. Church said the projects work best on a new and light-colored concrete, where there is a more visible contrast between the dry and wet stages. 

According to the Rainworks website, each Rainwork lasts for about 4 months to a year, depending on the amount of foot traffic it has to endure. The more the concrete gets used, the faster the art fades away. A Rainwork is the most vivid during its first couple of weeks, after that it slowly becomes subtler. And as Rainworks are only temporary and don’t harm the environment, they are perfectly legal. As the artist put it – it’s going to rain anyway. Why not do something fun with it?

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