Rain Drum Courtyard
N 47° 25.629 W 121° 46.453
10T E 592444 N 5253361
An experience for the ears as well as the eyes awaits those that visit the Cedar River Watershed Education Center.
Waymark Code: WM4A2B
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 07/27/2008
Views: 35
Twenty-one drums, representing different cultures, are scattered thoughout the courtyard of the Cedar River Education Center. The drums are intertwined with vine maples and other native vegetation. When it rains at the center, the rain collects on the leaves and drips onto the drum heads. When it's not raining, a computer will simulate not only rain, but also create preprogramed rhythms of various cultures.
Artist: Dan Corson
Artist's Statement: "I wondered how to turn the experience of sitting in the watershed's old growth forests and moss covered stands of vine maples while listening to the hypnotic pattern of rain on the leaves into art. While in Bali months earlier, I had heard of some drums that were designed to be played by rain. Although I searched and never found any examples, the idea of those drums became strongly rooted into my mind. Weaving in the idea of technology and the universal expression of music and rhythm, I worked with engineers, landscape architects, drum fabricators and musicians to bring this artwork to life. The project is designed to allow for different rhythms to be added and changed as the seasons and years cycle."