About

‘Play Me, I’m Yours’ was first commissioned by the Fierce Festival in Birmingham, UK in 2008. With 15 pianos located across the city for three weeks it is estimated that over 140,000 people played or listened to music from the pianos. Since then artist Luke Jerram and his team have installed more than 2000 street pianos in 70 cities worldwide, which have been played and listened to by more than 20 million people.

‘The idea for Play Me, I’m Yours came from visiting my local launderette. I saw the same people there each weekend and yet no one talked to one another. I suddenly realised that within a city, there must be hundreds of these invisible communities, regularly spending time with one another in silence. Placing a piano into the space was my solution to this problem, acting as a catalyst for conversation and changing the dynamics of a space. Where people have met for the first time around the pianos, the project has led to several marriages around the world. ’
Luke Jerram, International artist and creator of ‘Play Me, I’m Yours’

Play Me I’m Yours has been presented by many organisations around the globe, including the Pan Am Games, 2010 European Capital of Culture, LA Chamber Orchestra, San Jose Biennial, Sydney Festival, City of London Festival, Faculty of Music at University of Cambridge and Barcelona’s Maria Canals International Music Competition. The art project is generally is presented in a city for 2-3 weeks, after which time many of the pianos are donated to schools and community groups within the area.

Disrupting peoples’ negotiation of their city, Street Pianos are designed to provoke people into engaging, activating and claiming ownership of their urban landscape. Like a musical equivalent of Facebook, the street pianos together with this website, provide an interconnected resource for the public to express themselves.

The street pianos have also enticed many hidden musicians out of the woodwork. It has become apparent that there are thousands of pianists out there who don’t have regular access to a piano. ‘Play Me, I’m Yours’ provides access to this wonderful musical instrument and gives musicians the opportunity to share their creativity by performing in public.

Play Me I’m Yours has created a global movement of pianos being installed in public places across the world by organisations and individuals, for people to play. With street pianos popping up in towns and cities worldwide, Luke Jerram is proud that his concept for this artwork, has now become part of contemporary culture.

‘Play Me, I’m Yours’ created a beautiful and worthy moment for our city, by bringing the Street Pianos to our city’s parks and public spaces. It’s things like this that make me extra proud to be a New Yorker, and the endless possibilities represented in these streets.”
Alicia Keys on New York Street Pianos

Such a simple concept that brings out the best in people. It reminds us of the strange and beautiful things that can happen in everyday life. I had one of the most memorable experiences of my life playing beneath the Sacré Cœur, Paris on an old upright piano for a few hundred people.
Jamie Cullum on Paris Street Pianos

‘Play Me, I’m Yours’ has exceptional reach as a major piece of public art, with the story of the artwork being told by journalists around the globe  – see press coverage for more details.

The team at the Arts Centre Melbourne have created an amazing film evaluating Play Me, I’m Yours Melbourne 2014 (see below) and they also produced an online book that evaluates the project which you can view here.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a world-class virtuoso like Beethoven or a guy who took one year of lessons like Bloomberg, just sit down and let your fingers do the talking,”
NYC Mayor Bloomberg

Press Area: click here to download free high resolution images.

Watch this great film that shows what can happen to a piano after the installation…