Peregrine Church launches Rainworks, Seattle-based company that creates ‘rain-activated art’

"Rain-activated art” that only appears when it rains has taken Seattle by storm.  

Peregrine Church was inspired by a viral video that showed red wine pouring off of a white shirt and chocolate syrup pouring off white shoes, thanks to a super hydrophobic coating that prevents the surface from getting wet. 

“What can I do with this?” Church said in a YouTube video produced by Waka Waka Studios. “What if you sprayed it through a stencil? If you put it on concrete, ideally it'd be invisible. Instead of the concrete getting dark the water would just roll right off and it will stay light colored.”

Church, and his “co-conspirators” Xack Fischer and Forest Tressider, use Always Dry, a non-toxic, environmentally safe and biodegradable hydrophobic coating spray, to create their Rainworks. Using stencils, they create street art with the spray that only shows up when it rains. 

The Rainworks installations can be found throughout Seattle, a city known for its rainfall. Rainworks art include pieces that say, “Error 404: Sun Not Found," "Proud to be Rainy,” and hopscotch squares.

“We make rainworks to give people a reason to look forward to rainy days,” explains the Rainworks website. “It's going to rain anyway. Why not do something fun with it?”