21
20
N
icosia became the 45
th
city across the globe to
adorn its capital with pianos personalised and
decorated by local artists last autumn, all for the
public to enjoy, as part of the
Play me, I’m yours
interactive installation.
Touring internationally since 2008,
Play Me, I’m
Yours
is an artwork by British artist Luke Jerram.
Reaching over six million people worldwide
– more than 1,300 pianos have already been
installed in 45 cities across the globe, from New
York to London, bearing the simple instruction
Play Me, I’m Yours
.
Located in public parks, bus shelters and train
stations, markets and even on ferries the pianos
are available for any member of the public to play
and enjoy. Who plays them and how long they
remain on the streets is up to each community. By
creating a place of exchange,
Play Me, I’m Yours
invites the public to engage with, activate and take
ownership of their urban environment.
Communicating with one another
The Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education
and Culture together with the Avantgarde Cultural
Foundation, presented
PlayMe, I’mYours: Nicosia
from 17 to 26 October 2014. Ten street pianos
decorated by renowned local artists were placed in
parks, squares and other public spaces in Nicosia,
while at the end of the project the pianos were
donated to local charities and community groups.
Throughout the installation, the public could use
a special website to upload and share their, films,
photos and stories of their interaction with the
pianos. Each city’swebsite acts as one of the legacies
of the project, providing a means for the public to
communicate with one another on a local level, but
also within an international arena with people from
all over the world. The websites help to connect
the different communities, providing maps of each
city’s piano locations and promoting special events.
All content is created and uploaded by the public.
Play me, I’m yours: Nicosia
(By alphabetical order of the artists)
Pascalis Anastasi – Stavrou Avenue
Doros Heracleous – Mall of Engomi
Nikos Kouroussis – Kynerias Avenue
Andreas Ladommatos – A.G. Leventis
Gallery
Achilleas Michaelides (Paparazzi) – Ledra
Street checkpoint
Elena Michaelidou – Faneromeni Square
Christos Michlis – Acropolis Park
PIN Cartoons (Petros Papapetrou) – Mall
of Cyprus
Hambis Tsangaris [with: Eleni Panayidou
and Stelios Stylianou] – Strovolos
Municipality Cultural Centre
Andreas Charalambides – Kyriakides
Piano Gallery (Nikis Avenue)
Locations &Artists
Luke Jerram Times Sq NYC
Photograph by Amarynth Sichel
Luke Jerram with sphere
Photograph by Thes
The Cyprus interaction installation is hosted on
the international website of the artwork (www.
streetpianos.com) and the public may post and
share films, photos and stories about the pianos.
Whilst documenting each piano’s journey, this
connected the pianos and their communities across
the city and acted as a legacy for the artwork.
Alternatively, one may visit the Cypriot website
at
or Facebook: www.
facebook.com/kyriakides.piano.gallery
Afinal home for the pianos
The interactive installation wrapped on 26
October 2014. Following in the steps of big cities
like Barcelona, London, Sydney, New York,
Paris, Monaco and Los Angeles, this majorly
successfully cultural phenomenon reached the
shores of Cyprus and its capital city Nicosia. The
Cypriot pianos joined thousands of others across
the globe to create possibly the biggest ever
international interactive installation.
The outcome exceeded all expectations. It is
estimated that some 250,000 people engaged in
the installation, sending hundreds of messages
and thousands of photos and video clips to the
websites and social media pages. What’s more,
no acts of vandalism were reported, showing the
people’s respect towards the beautiful creations.
Staying true to their commitment to donate the
ten pianos to places that could do with some
entertainment, the organisers selected a number of
homes and shelters that were selected following
careful consideration. The brand new Perzina UP-
122 pianos, sent in especially for the cause, ended
up in children’s homes, hospitals and rehabilitation
centres, among others.
Once the installation wrapped, the President of
Avantgarde Cultural Centre and the officer in
charge of the installation at the Cultural Services
of the Ministry of Education and Culture visited a
number of places in person and finally concluded
on the ten locations that would house the pianos.
