Rainy days are dreary and lifeless. Although there are few people who love the rain, most of us still prefer bright sunny days. But the people in Seoul, South Korea are actually looking forward to the monsoon season. This is because the streets of Seoul transform into huge artworks when it rains. Colorful, vibrant paintings suddenly appear on the streets when water droplets come in contact with the surface. Is this some kind of a magic? Wizardry has nothing to do with it. Pantone came up with the idea of bringing colors to the somber streets of Seoul during rainy season. The US-based company teams up with designers from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to create water-activated street murals. And this is how Project Monsoon started.
By using hydrochromic paint, the creative team paints the streets of Seoul with colorful paintings of fishes and turtles. This special type of paint is applied as a standard paint. It uses a special formula that allows the paint to change from transparent to opaque when water is applied. Once dry, it reverts back to being transparent again. The artists aim to represent the East Asian culture which focuses on the elegant flow of river. In which they did by transforming the somber streets into azure rivers with fishes and turtles swimming along the streamflow. However, these vibrant paintings would only appear when it rains.
Water Activated
These water-activated street murals will certainly bring colors to the streets during monsoon season. People will no longer stay at home during rainy days. Instead, they will be flocking the streets to watch the fascinating paintings unveil. Project Monsoon is setting in Seoul and we can only hope that it also finds its way into our city. Seoul will surely welcome rainy season with open arms. Hopefully, every city in the world could do the same.