michael elion

Michael Elion has created a gorgeous, man-made rainbow in front of the Commune1 Gallery in Cape Town. Visible every sunny day for about an hour, from now until October 14, the colourful arc is a magical creation that transforms a banal urban street into a land of wonder.

The rainbow consists of water vapour and sunlight and is generated using a high pressure pump powered by a petrol motor. Water from the tank flows through the pump and exits via high pressure hosing with special nozzles attached to the end of a lance. The nozzles atomize the water to the correct particle size by controlling the angle at which the water exits the nozzle at a particular pressure. The flow-rate of the water through the pump, relative to the pump’s pressure setting and the shape of the nozzle all contribute towards how vividly the rainbow will appear.

Via My Modern Met.