Play Me, I’m Yours
Posted on: June 21, 2010
I’m slightly jealous of New Yorkers who can participate in a fun, public musical activity starting tomorrow! On Monday, June 21, 60 working pianos will be placed around New York City as part of an art installation. Located in public parks, streets and plazas, the pianos are available for anybody who walks by.
Presented by Sing for Hope, a non-profit that mobilizes professional artists in volunteer service programs, these pianos will be on display until July 5th as part of a public art project called “Play Me, I’m Yours.” The pianos will act as both visual and musical art, “with attention-getting cases and living-color keys — green or blue, or all black instead of the usual allotment of 52 white and 36 black.”
Even Sophie Matisse, granddaughter of the painter, gets involved in painting a piano for Play Me I'm Yours
This project reminds me of “the Gates,” the orange gates and matching draperies that stretched across Central Park in 2005, or the fiberglass cows, fish, pigs, etc. that have taken up residencies in various cities in the past few years. It’s a wonderful idea, bringing access to a musical instrument into a community and breaking down the barriers of entry.
Camille Zamora, a co-founder of Sing for Hope, said, “We want communities where the pianos go to feel the pianos are theirs, that you don’t have to take 20 years of lessons,” Ms. Zamora said. “People are frightened to touch pianos. They don’t want to embarrass themselves.” (via NYT)
As NPR reported, this project has “already been done in London, Sao Paolo, and Sydney, where one couple met at the piano and later got married.”
Now that’s the power of music bringing people together 🙂
Where the pianos are...click for more details!
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