Friday, April 19, 2019
The Painted Pianos Of Glasgow Piano City
Rosco Spectrum: I was invited to do a workshop at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCoS) by Gary Fry, Lecturer – Scenic Art. Tom Binns, the Project Coordinator for Glasgow Piano City (GPC), was one of the workshop attendees. GPC is a non-profit organization that takes donated pianos and, after decorating them, places those pianos in public spaces around the city for people to play and enjoy.
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There is a non for profit based in New York City called Sing for Hope that does something really similar. They purchase 100 pianos and then have different artists decorate each piano for it to then be placed in different locations within New York City for people to sing and play with. While this article did just feel like a promotional add for Rosco paint, I loved looking at the pictures of the different pianos. I loved the one that was painted to imitate cervical cancer cells. The ways people are choosing to bring awareness to different issues is really interesting. It’s reassuring to know that organizations like Sing for Hope exist around the world. Glasgow Piano City seems to be a pretty amazing organization with an awesome mission. Also the array of designs done on these pianos is really inspiring. I also never thought that it would be difficult to achieve vibrant colors on pianos, but it seems that these artists were struggling with that. It’s good to know Rosco paint is good for an array of applications.
These painted pianos are absolutely incredible! I love when people paint or draw on nontraditional surfaces. It really makes for a much more interesting and dynamic piece. I think my favorite one of the four is probably the ‘fern’ one because of the realistic and natural quality to it. ‘Heather’ is really sweet and playful as well. I really like what the Glasgow Piano City organization is doing to help spread music and joy to the public. I think it’s a great way to connect more people and bring something new to everyday life. Not just that, but they can use the artwork on the pianos to also call to attention other topics like the cervical cancer. I’d love to see more of the works that have been done on other pianos, and I think it would be a lot of fun to get to paint on one myself someday.
While I am not surprised, I did find it funny to read this article published on Rosco’s website about a community based installation focuses on how the artists loved to use Rosco paints. This hugely self-promoting article reminds me of a similar installation that went up in the Boston area in 2016. The installation, title Play Me, I’m Yours, was funded by an organization for the city and had 60 pianos painted by artists and schools in Massachusetts, and then had then placed all over the city and adjacent areas. My high school art teacher painted one, and I remember going with a larger group of friends to find it, and coming upon two other pianos on our way there. I think these installation are brilliant for bringing a community together around creating something, and then exploring the place they live in order to enjoy it a little bit more. While I have no doubt that Rosco paint is spectacular, what I do wonder is how do the painted layer on the piano affect the sound it made?
In my business class that I am taking this semester, the founder of Sing for Hope, Monica Yunus, came and spoke to us about an initiative in New York City where they place over 450 artist painted and created pianos across the different boroughs in New York with the intention of bringing music to different people and further growing a positive community in these area. Glasgow Piano City seems to be a similar initiative, and it’s one that I think should spread to other cities, as it bridges a connection between artists and their community while also connecting people to music in a new way. In reference to some of the pianos that Glasgow Piano City has created, I think it is interesting seeing the inspiration for some of the pianos and how they were placed in different locations that coincided with the vision of the piano, and the Molly and Mabel pianos stand out to me the most for speaking to it’s audience. Ultimately, I think these pianos are incredible, and I am glad it is something that is going on in other cities.
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