In August 2017 Bristol will once again play host to Luke Jerrams successful art project ‘Play me, Im Yours’ which sees a number of acoustic upright pianos placed around the city. The picture to the left was taken by Luke Jerram in 2009 which is the year street pianos first came to Bristol. Play me, Im yours is currently taking place in Grand Geneva and also Paris and will be in Bristol from 17th August-7th September. We have seen the way this project has gathered momentum since it first started in Birmingham in 2008 and find it uplifting to witness the way the pianos bring life to the spaces around them. Play me, Im yours is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the way making music can unite people and ignite connections that otherwise would not happen, bringing communities together. One of our favourite stories from the street pianos past installations is the one in which two strangers met over a piano, and eventually married – great stuff!
We admire the way Luke Jerram has fused music, creativity, art and the use of public space to create something that is really unique. Street pianos have now featured in over 43 cities worldwide and reached an estimated 6million people, to the right you can see some of the work involved in installing the pianos, this picture was taken by Luke Jerram in London, 2009. Of course, the fact that the piano lies at the heart of this project is wonderful because it reminds everyone that this classic acoustic instrument still has a significant role to play in our communities and everyday lives. It is an instrument we wouldnt be without so we find it very gratifying to see the joy it brings to people who dont always necessarily have access to a Piano. Words that seem to be commonly associated with the street pianos are, human, creative, inclusive, inspiring, democratic and interactive. To learn more about Street Pianos past and present visit street pianos.com
The image to the left was taken in Cambridge by Symon Reynolds and depicts an idyllic moment, who wouldn’t want to play a piano under a tree? Similar scenes have been captured across the world and the response of members of the public towards the pianos is phenomenal, from Brazil this is how one man expressed his thanks for the project; this is the future. The democratization of art. The quality of the music is indifferent, the proposal of the installation is everything. Those beautiful pianos are self-esteem boosters for the everyday worker, who doesn’t have access to this kind of stuff not even on weekends. Pianos here are often are considered as “rich class” instruments, unlike the acoustic guitar or drums. I can feel the respect they have for the instrument, I’ve seen people caressing it gently, admiring the keys, the shape, all its contours…Thanks again! You brought slices of magic to us all!!!
For all these reasons The Piano Shop Bath is delighted to be supporting Play me, Im yours as it brings pianos back to the streets of Bristol.
(All photographs in this blog have been reproduced with the kind permission of Luke Jerram and Symon Reynolds)