Year: 2011
By Ned Kahn
Material : Acrylic, stainless steel
Location : Marina Bay Sands Waterfront Promenade / Retail Mall
Duration : Permanent
Collection : Marina Bay Sands
Dimensions : 22m wide
Rain Oculus is a large acrylic and stainless steel structure located at the intersection of the retail mall and the waterfront promenade. It creates a whirlpool motion on the promenade level with the water falling one story through a hole in the centre of the Oculus, creating a dynamic water skylight feature at the heart of the retail mall. It consists of a 22-metre diameter acrylic bowl mounted on top of a tubular stainless steel superstructure, which forms a “basket” to support the acrylic panels. The combined weight of the acrylic Oculus and steel superstructure is 90 tons. Water flows at 6,000 gallons per minute through the Oculus and the maximum weight of water it can hold is 200 tons. The water is the art medium creating the sculptural effect in this installation.