One of 30 pianos across London 2009

Play Me, I'm Yours

Touring the globe since March 2008, 'Play Me I'm Yours' is an artwork by Luke Jerram. 

Street pianos are appearing in cities across the world. Located in skate parks, industrial estates, laundrettes, precincts, bus shelters and train stations, outside pubs and football grounds, the pianos are for any member of the public to enjoy and claim ownership of. Who plays them and how long they remain is up to each community. The pianos act as sculptural, musical, blank canvas's that become a reflection of the communities they are embedded into. Many pianos are personalised and decorated.

Questioning the ownership and rules of public space 'Play Me I'm Yours' is a provocation, inviting the public to engage with, activate and take ownership of their urban environment. In June 2009,  'Play Me, I'm Yours' was discussed in the House of Lords regarding the absurdity of the UK music licensing laws. Read more about the artwork.

‘Play Me, I’m Yours’ provides an interconnected resource, a blank canvas, for the public to express themselves and share their creativity.

This main project website www.streetpianos.com was made for the public to post their comments about the pianos and describe their use. The websites document each piano’s journey whilst connecting the communities across each city. To date 'Play Me, I'm Yours' has been presented in London, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Bristol, Birmingham and Bury St. Edmunds. Contact Jerram about installing 'Play Me, I'm Yours' in your city.

Plans for 2010

The following cities are presenting 'Play Me, I'm Yours' in 2010: London, Bath, Belfast, Barcelona, Pécs (Hungary), Cincinnati and San Jose (US).  Adelaide are presenting 'Play Me, I'm Yours' in 2011.

Highlights from London 2009

30 pianos were distributed across the capital for Sing London 2009 and City of London Festival.  www.streetpianos.co.uk was the official site for public postings.  All created by the public, these highlights were taken from the main London street piano site where over 1000 stories, films and photos were uploaded.

Student documentary film (with amazing timelapse 2min 45sec in)
Small genius boy playing Chopin
Superluckies film
Babelgum film
Marathon film of playing 24 pianos in 8hours
Julian Velard with random stranger rapping
London Symphony Orchestra play at Liverpool Street Station
Couple in Paternoster Square
Blind pianist Andre Louis in Portobello Rd (film gets going 2 mins in)
Abandoned Rugs funny lyrics video
Jools Holland Launching 'Play Me, I'm Yours' on BBC Television News
Listen to BBC World Service Radio
Read in the Guardian G2
Read in The New York Times.


Over a 3 week duration, around 300,000 people across London either played a piano or heard their music. The story of the artwork in London was told by journalists around the globe. See some of the global press coverage

Bristol - September 2009

15 street pianos were installed across the city for the Colston Hall Opening Celebrations and the Neighbourhood Arts Team. See www.bristolpianos.co.uk for the public's films and photos. Here are two of the best films made by the public.....1, 2 
This wonderful documentary film has also been made....

The second part of the film is here

Sydney Festival - January 2009

'Play Me, I'm Yours' was presented at the Sydney Festival 2009. Organisers estimated around 200 - 300,000 people across the city played or listened to the pianos. 30 street pianos were distributed across the city for the public to engage with. The public have uploaded their stories, films and comments on the Sydney streetpianos site. Many people have tried to play them all, journeying from one to another in an epic piano marathon! Out of 1000 uploads from Sydney, here some of the artists favourite films..1, 2, 3,

'Play Me, I'm Yours' really caught the public's imagination. Entrepreneurs started selling postcards of the pianos and CJ Lewis in Australia has made special T shirts for sale!

Street Pianos across Brazil 2008

In October 2008 'Play Me, I'm Yours', was translated to 'Toque - Me, Sou Teu' and thirteen pianos were installed on the streets of Sao Paulo: see this Streetpianos website.

Many people had never seen a real piano before let alone had access to play one. The pianos acted as a real point of connection with neighbours talking to one another for the first time. Musicians came out of the woodwork and played in public to friends and strangers. Here are some of the artists favourite films from Sao Paulo...1, 2, 3

The project provides trained pianists who don't have access to instruments with an opportunity to play and share their creativity. At the bottom of this page is a letter from a stranger. Watch the Brazilian national news programme about the story. 

New Charitable Fund

Jerram has set up a special streetpianos fund enabling 'Play Me, I'm Yours' to be installed in less wealthy cities across the world. The Sao Paulo Festival Mostra SESC des Artes were the first to take advantage of this fund. After spending 3 weeks on the streets the pianos were donated to community groups across the city.

Media Coverage

New York Times about streetpianos in London read
BBC World Service radio story by David Whitty Listen
Guardian G2 Full page story 
Corriere Italian national newspaper read & watch news
Time Out full page story
BBC London Television news Watch
CNN Television news - USA Watch
The Independent Newspaper Read
Evening Standard Read
BBC TV News Brazil Watch
The Guardian 'Play Me, I'm Yours' story by Maev Kennedy read
Sydney Morning Herald read 
Radio 5 Live Dream Director at the ICA listen
Globo TV, Brazil 'Play Me, I'm Yours' in Sao Paulo watch
US - National Public Radio documentary about 'Play Me, I'm Yours' listen
Sky News reports 'Play Me, I'm Yours' watch

PRESS AREA
(for free street piano image downloads)

Audience Figures

Audience figures for the artwork in Birmingham reached 140,000 people over 3 weeks. Download the press coverage and audience figures document.

Support

'Play Me, I'm Yours' was first commissioned by Fierce Earth of Birmingham in 2008.

Stories from Brazil

Dear Mr Jerram,
.....In the train station, I came across a girl sitting at a piano with her mother in tears. It turns out she had worked as a cleaner for 4 years to send her daughter to piano lessons on the other side of town. They couldn't afford to own a real piano and this was the first time, the mother had ever heard her daughter play. Their story made me cry as well.  

Hello Luke

First off I would like to thank you for bringing your project "Play Me, I'm Yours" to my city, São Paulo. You have no idea of the positive impact it has been causing in our community. Everyday I catch the subway at Estacao da Luz, where one of your pianos is located. This is a very busy hectic place, where most of the people  are coming from or going to work in a fast pace so typical of a megalopolis. It amazes me the power of the instrument, the magnetism that it generates among people. And I must say that 99% of the people who actually stop to check it out don't have access to culture or are not used to having culture and beauty being brought to them.

I believe we have to take art out of its common venues and make it more public, more accessible. Besides bringing beauty and inspiration to people, your pianos ignite a reflexion on how we use the public space, how passive or active is our relationship with the space we share. I usually wait for a co worker right next to the piano, and as she is always late, I have the chance to observe people's reactions. I've seen people walking by and coming back to listen to somebody play, I've seen people calling dear ones from their cell phones to share the music with them, I've seen an ice cream vendor crying after listening to a song, I've seen a couple dancing, I've seen 2 blind guys with the subway employee (in charge of guiding them) sitting down and taking their time to appreciate the music, I've seen children in total ecstasy jumping around while an old man played a famous Vivaldi piece (from a perfume ad here in Brazil).

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!!!

Best Regards

Fabiana

From Bruno in Italy

One day, during summer, I walk over the millennium bridge and I see someone playing a piano. He stops playing - gets up and goes away. Someone else sits and starts playing. People gather around and listen. I think - "this is brilliant".

I got the habit to go there - near millennium bridge - each night - between midnight and one.
I made music - I met incredibly interesting people who stopped and listened to me playing: the reason I went at 1.00am is that people who pass by will only stop and listen if they genuinely like what are you playing.

I was never used to play in front of others - before, I only played for myself - and I realized that I was missing one of the most important aspects of music. Sharing.

Plus, playing in an open space is something totally different. Especially if the open space is right next to millennium bridge. The soul of the musician and the sound can expand without boundaries and he becomes free. Plus, as it is the aim of the project, people can claim back their urban space and use it to rediscover togetherness through music.

Thanks so much for this.
Bruno