Rain paint stencil public art coming to Vancouver's public spaces

Rain graffiti at UBC's Main Mall in November 2017. (UBC)

The municipal government wants to “celebrate” Vancouver’s long rainy months with a new type of public art that is activated by water.

Three public spaces in the city have been identified for rain paint stencil public art, which is applied to concrete and can only be visible when the concrete becomes wet. Such installations are temporary, as the paint usually lasts about three months.

The selected locations for the rain paint art installations are Helena Gutteridge Plaza, the intersection of 63rd Avenue and Yukon Street, and Olympic Village.

Example of rain paint public art. (City of White Rock)

Residents are being invited to propose their ideas to the city, with themed categories that related to enhancing public spaces, sustainability and resiliency, and the city’s relationship to water. The submissions can be drawings, poems, games, concepts, or any other idea that can be turned into a rain paint stencil.

The City of Vancouver’s Engineering department will accept design submissions until August 17, 2018. The selected designs will be painted in the fall, just in time for the return of prolonged damp weather.

Such installations will be similar to the temporary “rain graffiti” painted onto the Main Mall at the UBC campus last fall.

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