Rainwell

2024

December 2024
9’ x 9’ x 70’
Co-created with River Adkins
Plastic sheet insufflatable, projection, soundscape, and petrichor inscence oil
Installed in MIT Building 3 stairwell

This 70-foot installation inside MIT's Building 3 stairwell fills the space with an insufflatable. The installation aims to create a multisensory experience to break MIT students out of their “bubble” in stressful moments and stressful spaces. Located along one of MIT’s busiest locations, the infinite hallway, this installation fills the entire stairwell across all five stories, and captures a peaceful rainfall even in such an unlikely place. From the bottom-most floor, viewers can walk inside the insufflatable, and look up to a rather mundane view, reimagined.

We integrated cool-toned lighting, an ambient pink-noise rain soundscape, and rain-scented inscence oils into the installation, creating a fully multi-sensory experience. Furthermore, the plastic sheeting softly sways and moves as people walk by. While the installation process required using an industrial 36-inch drum fan, this piece is completly self-standing, fully insufflated by the turbulent air flow in the building.

Video taken during instalation, from inside the insufflatable looking up

Viewers across the stairwell

Side view from two stories up

Zommed in photo from inside the insufflatable, looking above

View from inside the insufflatable, looking up

Side view of the installation from three stories up

View from one side of the stairwell looking across the installation across to the other side of the stairwell

View from inside the insufflatable, at nightime, with projectons turned off

Side view of the installation from three stories up

View from the side of the insufflatable, as people pass by

View from inside the insufflatable, at daytime, with turbulent air flow pushing the sheeting to create movement

View of people looking up, standing inside the insufflatable

Viewof the top of the insufflatable, seen frtom the side

View of somoeone touchiong the insufflatable, seen from the inside

An image of Nicole during the install process, sitting at the bottom of the insufflatable looking up

Designing, Prototyping, & Takeaways

Section view created using Adobe Illustrator.

Early Inspiration collage, made in Procreate with images from Pinterest

GIF created in Procreate, as a key image and source of inspiration for the atmosphere of the installation.

Plan view of the installation, highlighting sound design, light design, projectors, and intended movement of the insufflatable. Created using MIT floorplans and edited on Adobe Illustrator.

3D perspective view designed in Rhino.

Deinstallation proved to be a suprisingly difficult process, due to the weight of all the air inside of the insufflatable. As such, we had to cut the insufflatable apart in order to take it down.

Site Analysis

References and precedents

Handrawn mockup made using Procreate.

Sketch on top an image of the site, aiding in planning installation process.

Sketch of the site, hand-drawn on Procreate

Early sketch on an opaque insufflatableEarly sketch of a reflective, hand-drawn in Procreate

Early sketch of a reflective, opaque insufflatable, hand-drawn in Procreate

Early sketch of a transluscent irridescent insufflatable, hand-drawn and edited in Procreate

Assembling the final, 70ft insufflatable

Arranging the insufflatable in the stairwell to be ready for on-site insufflation, with the help of 10+ hands at every storey.

Setting up the insufflation process, using an industrial 36-inch drum fan

Making of a 25ft prototype

25ft prototype testing

25ft prototype insufflation test