Recycled pianos project strikes a chord with artists
PICASSO and Van Gogh are among those to take advantage of the art world’s rich heritage of reusing old canvasses for new works.
And now an innovative project in Bath is offering artists the opportunity to reuse key materials from an entirely different art form for new creations.
Pianos destined for the scrap heap have received a new lease of life thanks to the scheme.
Few things make a musician’s heart sink like seeing a beloved piano being consigned to the tip.
But redundant pianos have been transformed thanks to a pioneering creative project with artwork going on sale from tomorrow.
The Played and Remade initiative is the idea of Jon Kelly, owner of The Piano Shop Bath, and builds on the store’s record of working with creative artists, including on restyling pianos for the band Coldplay.
Jon says that he and his team get asked to scrap up to 300 unwanted or unfixable pianos every year from around the West.
This is, he says, both a waste of valuable raw materials and something of an insult to the craftspeople who made the original piano.
His solution is to offer artists, craftworkers and furniture designers their free pick of these resources for creative re-use, exhibition and sale.
Jon says: “Knowing what to do with the steady stream of old unwanted pianos is a major issue for the piano trade and for piano owners.
“Responsible disposal is expensive, time-consuming and a tragic waste of manufacturing skills and of a wide range of materials, as well as an environmental burden because of the impact on landfill sites.
“Played and Remade is our creative and collaborative solution to the problem. It enables skilled artists to make something magical and new by giving them free access to materials which would otherwise end up on a scrap heap while also giving the public the chance to admire or own glorious and unique items with ecofriendly credentials.”
Jon and his team are currently working on plans to open a permanent, regularly changing, exhibition of Played and Remade pieces in the shop later this year but a taster showcase opens tomorrow, which will be free to view from then on.
He has arranged for renowned artsits,
including Andy Council, famous for his large outdoor murals, and Clare Burnett, former president of the Royal Society of Sculptors, to create works using some of the disused pianos.
Jon adds: “Far too many redundant pianos are now being sent to landfill, dumped, abandoned or even burnt. We believe Played and Remade is an original and more environmentally friendly way to deal with the ones we are asked to handle.
It is also lovely to work with creatives who share our vision.
“We all recognise that each of the pianos holds a story of the people who have lived with the instrument, often over very many years, and of the instrument’s makers. Through Played and Remade we can keep the story going and forge a special bond between music and art”.
The exhibition can be viewed via the shop on London Road in Bath, Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm.