"Play Me, I'm Yours" - 40 Street Pianos in Paris


Whether you're a professional pianist...


Or just starting out...



There are 40 brightly decorated pianos at your disposal on the streets of Paris from now until July 8, 2012. Look for them in popular tourist areas, public spaces and parks around the city. If you're not a musician, enjoy listening to the tunes of blues, rock and roll or classical music as others tickle the ivories from 9:30 am until 8:30 pm.

"Play Me, I'm Yours" is an art installation by British artist Luke Jerram and has been touring internationally since 2008. After spending 17 days on the streets, the pianos will be lent to a local non-profit organisation until the next edition of "Play Me, I’m Yours Paris" in 2013.

Knowing that the pianos would be in the Jardin du Palais Royal for the Fête de la Musique, I was excited to see a tweet by blogger "Aussie in France" about some mysterious covered objects encircling the fountain. Taking a quick look at the attached photo, I tweeted back to tell her that  they were pianos and that I was planning to attend the concert in the afternoon. Much to my delight, she tweeted back an invitation to have a bird's eye view of the festivities from her lovely apartment overlooking the gardens. Talk about a treat. Take a look at this view!

Click here to read Aussie in France's post about the pianos and the Fête de la Musique.

A full list of the pianos' positions can be found online at "Play Me, I'm Yours" Paris 2012, a website where people are encouraged to upload and share videos, photos and stories about their encounters with the pianos.
The view from Aussie in France's apartment

Aurélie Filippetti, the French Minister of Culture (2nd from left) with the British artist, Luke Jerram (right)

Comments

  1. Indeed! What a view!

    "Never give up." It's the Charlie Brown motto, I get it.

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    1. I didn't realize that "Never give up" is Charlie's Brown's motto. That makes sense because it was carved in the piano with Snoopy sitting on the top. Come to think of it, I wonder why there isn't a cutout of Schroeder pounding on the keys.

      And the view from Aussie's apartment - spectacular!

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  2. Why so many signs in English? Or, were you drawn to the ones for your international audience? Did you play?

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    1. I wish that I could play the piano, Penny! Stephane used to take lessons when we lived in Germany so perhaps we'll have to find one for him to play. He has a couple of songs in his repertoire that he plays over and over.

      As far as I noticed, all of the signs were in English. Perhaps it's because the artist is British or maybe they want to ensure that visitors to Paris can read the signs. The website is in French and English.

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  3. I love Paris for little things like this!!!! This is just darling!! I love the art and detail he put into each piano, especially the Charlie Brown t-shirt hanging on the Snoopy one. Super cute.

    What an incredible view Aussie has! Color me jalouse! : )

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    1. I should have mentioned in the body of the post that the first "Play Me, I'm Yours" art installation was in 2008. Since then, it has been in quite a few cities around the world, including NYC, London, Sydney, Cincinnati, San jose, Geneva, Adelaide, Sao Paolo, Barcelona, etc. Any chance that you saw (or played!) any of the pianos when they were in NYC in 2010?

      Not only does Aussie have a great view, but the location couldn't be better.

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  4. This is amazing, simply amazing!! I agree mad. coquine, this is one of the reasons why I adore this city so much. There's always something artistic, creative, going on!!

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    1. Holly crap...missed it before, what a view from that apt.!!!

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    2. Sylvia, You would have loved the Fête de la Musique on Thursday. Lots of great music and an amazing vibe. You're right - there's always something going on in Paris!

      How did you miss the view?!?! ;)

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  5. Wish I were able to be there....with my camera! Looks like Paris has been blessed with great weather to enjoy this event.

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    1. I wish that you were here, too! It was fun taking photos of the pianos because they're all so colorful. The pictures, however, are misleading because there were some massive thunderstorms on Thursday. If possible, it even rained more than it did while you were here. It seemed as if buckets of water were being dumped on my umbrella...which thankfully withstood the onslaught! And then rather miraculously, the rain stopped and the protective covers were taken off of the pianos.

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  6. Awesome idea, but I wonder how many will still work at the end of the period!

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    1. Hopefully all of them! If not, I noticed that there was a team of piano tuners on hand to make sure that they were in tune. Maybe they also volunteer their time to make any necessary repairs.

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