The Rain

Atoui's work on The Rain began in 2019 with a research trip to South Korea. During this time, he developed an interest in Korean traditional culture, extending beyond instruments to ceramics, hanji (traditional paper), weaving and other crafts. Through collaborations with local instrument makers and craftspeople, Atoui experimented with techniques and materials to create new instruments that revisit the way traditional Korean drums are played.

The Rain has a strong relation to the four elements, water, air, fire and earth, and pays homage to them by making them play the instruments. In some sections, a water drop is controlling and playing all the rest of the instruments. Other drums work with wind and are activated by air flowing inside of them. Others react to heat: thanks to heating systems on the skin of the drum, the skin dilates and changes tension, and this has an impact on the sound that the drum makes. When it comes to earth, it is about vibration: the sound being the vibration itself, it becomes physical and can be felt in the body or seen with the eyes. The four elements here play a fundamental role: they are the performers, and are at the forefront of bringing this piece to life and making it come together.

The Rain has been developed with the support and participation of the Gwangju Biennale Foundation and Art Sonje Center. It was presented as part of GB Commissions during the 13th Gwangju Biennale in 2021, and as an installation, a performance and a series of workshops at the 14th Gwangju Biennale in 2023. Art Sonje Center hosted The Rain in 2023-24, accompanied by a series of performances and workshops.

The work was then recomposed into its current form, a composition in four sections, and presented at Mirrored Gardens, Guangzhou, accompanied by a series of new performances in spring/summer 2024. In 2024–25, The Rain was presented in Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria, and Improvisation in 10 Days, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, Italy. —