Like a new modern version of invisible ink, superhydrophobic coatings can also be used to create hidden street art that stays invisible until it gets wet. Peregrine Church, a Seattle-based street artist, created a series of public works of street art called Rainworks using the same sort of hydrophobic coatings that we saw being used in Germany to combat public urination.
Church creates the artwork spontaneously because he has been assured by the city authorities that what he is doing is legal – the coating is non-toxic, non-permanent, only sometimes visible, and his works don't advertise anything. He says that, depending on how much the sidewalk in question is used, his pieces may last between 4 months and a year, but are most vivid within the first few weeks of application.
His works are diverse, and range from artistic drawings to fun and motivational messages to a hop-scotch game that can only be played when it's wet. Read on for some of his answers to Bored Panda's questions about his work!
"I’m just always trying to make the world a more interesting place," Peregrine Church told Bored Panda. "In this case, by giving people a reason to be excited for rainy days"
"We are getting paid commissions now, but we will not make rainworks that blatantly advertise anything, because that would conflict with the purpose of rainworks: to turn rainy days into something to look forward to. We will also continue to make guerrilla rainworks for the sake of making people smile"
