Pianodrome Blog
Piano action in words.
Up the Interstate 77 to Charlotte
27 January 2023
The sun shines on the accumulation of tower-blocks that is Uptown Charlotte as I drive up the freeway – the Interstate 77. Charlotte is a banking boom-town – steadily growing through aggressive gentrification over the last 20 to 30 to 70 years. Almost everyone I meet has arrived as an incomer from somewhere else in the States.
Pinblock Mantelpiece
What is the most aesthetically pleasing part of a piano?
Perhaps it is the iconic keyboard, with its ordered universe of black and white keys, either shining brightly or showing the tallow use of decades of enjoyment? Could it be the keyboard lid which seamlessly curves over the keys, closing to meet a miniature lock and key? Or maybe it’s the front panel adorned with decoration; either embossed with elegant beading or inlaid with marquetry depicting dreamlike flower scenes or astral forms? There is much to love in the piano’s pleasing form.
Today we started
10 January 2023
Today we started pulling pianos apart. After all the years of planning, the months of anticipation, the weeks of preparation and the days of travelling it’s great to finally be here and hands on.
Pianodrome Charlotte, North Carolina
The first Pianodrome in the US. When Robert Krumbine the creative director of Charlotte Shout festival asked at the Pianodrome at the Pitt in 2019 'how do we make a Pianodrome' I think I said 'you just need to start by getting a warehouse and filling it with pianos'. Well now they have a warehouse and 40 something pianos and for the next three weeks they also have me.
The piano desk
Using materials from discarded pianos is a way of honouring the craftsmanship that went into building the pianos sometimes over a century ago, and giving new life to parts that provided the instrument its music and character. It is also a way of making the most of what is available, limiting waste and the need to produce new objects for a specific purpose.
As part of this vision, bespoke furniture can be built from piano parts, and in the case of this Studio Pianodrome project, a desk was designed to fit into the small space available by a window.
The piano top
‘If you are in a shipwreck and all the boats are gone, a piano top buoyant enough to keep you afloat that comes along makes a fortuitous life preserver.’
R. Buckminster Fuller, 1966.
