The “Rain Veil” transforms a former concrete funnel-shaped water purification tower, originally built in 1986 with the capacity to hold 600 tons of groundwater. (Image courtesy of Seoul city)
SEOUL, May 31 (Korea Bizwire) – A towering new public art installation, standing 32 meters tall, is set to become a landmark in the heart of Seoul.
On May 30, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it would be holding an opening ceremony at 3:30 p.m. on May 31 for the “Rain Veil” artwork at the Garak Market intersection.
The “Rain Veil” transforms a former concrete funnel-shaped water purification tower, originally built in 1986 with the capacity to hold 600 tons of groundwater. The tower had been inactive since 2004.
Last year, the city government held an international competition, combining an open call and invited artists, to reimagine the defunct structure as a public art piece.
The winning design by American installation artist Ned Kahn was selected in August from a field of four invited artists and 29 domestic teams.
Kahn, known for his pursuit of integrating natural phenomena with science and art, has created notable works like the artificial Rain Oculus waterfall at Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore and exhibits at the New York Aquarium.
His “Rain Veil” captures the fluid nature of rain formed through the atmosphere’s circulation, represented by undulating curtain-like movements influenced by the wind.
The installation’s ever-changing scenes respond dynamically to sunlight and breezes, offering a kaleidoscope of visuals from different perspectives and heights.
Its design connects 100 vertical lines between 20-meter and 8-meter diameter rings, with the lower ring rotated 122 degrees to create organic curves.
Within the 1,650 diamond-shaped openings formed by the intersecting lines, 330,000 small Durabio pieces sway in the wind, completing the massive kinetic art piece. Durabio is an eco-friendly biomaterial derived from processed starches like corn.
Inside the purification tower, a separate artwork called “Sea Time” depicts a cross-section of the sea, with six colors representing the rise in sea levels over the past 30 years through 100 resin art pieces made by local citizens.
At the opening ceremony, the artist team will be present to explain their work, joined by community members and children who participated in the project.
“The Garak Market Purification Tower project showcases an exemplary urban art initiative that repurposes defunct facilities and fosters citizen-artist collaboration in creating public art as a community haven,” said Choi In-gyu, director-general of the design policy bureau at the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
“We will continue to pursue diverse public art projects that connect art with daily life for our citizens.”
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
