It was important to us to keep the music making democratic, so, as in the case of Player Piano soirée, we kept the situation open: anyone attending the event was welcome to play with the interactive environment.

We used the studio space of the apartment for setting up an interactive installation with a large suspended projection screen and “speakers”, both based on translucent vinyl panels. Prior to this presentation we had another visit to Klaverens Hus with a professional pianist Silja Levander to collect a selection of still images documenting her playing technique from various angles. An additional PureData patch was developed allowing to “toss” about a thousand images in real time in synch with the sonic interface. The result was projected on the double-face vinyl screen serving as a visual anchor for the space.

A second space, the sitting room of the apartment, was set up as a “listening station” in which an old radio was playing fragments of the interviews we collected, in a random order. The third, most peaceful and relaxing installation, was arranged in the bedroom, where visitors could lie down comfortably and listen to the collective sonatinas and the recording from Klaverens Hus session with McGinley.

Watch a video documentation of this event below:

Player Piano at Möbeln: closer to where it all started (click to go to the last page)

Making, sharing and enjoying music together: Player piano weekend

The next step was to try extending the music dialogue format to other instruments and public situations. As a part of RISK(U) #3 residency at the Nordic Guest Studio at Malongen in Stockholm we organised an exhibition including three installations, pedagogic and public activities. During three days we had public sessions with various musicians joining us. Cello, guitar, oboe, trumpet, harmonica and even voice contributed to the rich and exhilarating music experience.