31 pianos to be plonked around London

In an experiment backed by Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, and by the national lottery, 31 pianos are to be placed around London to encourage people to gather for a singsong with strangers.

They will be placed at prominent sites such as the British Library, the Natural History Museum, the Bank of England and Tate Britain. Each will be decorated by an artist with an appropriate motif – the one outside the Bank will be painted with money, one on Carnaby Street will be adorned with bright 1960s-style swirls and one in Portobello Road market will feature fruit and veg.

A full-time tuner will tour the sites on a bicycle to maintain them. The organisers believe the scheme will encourage trust.



Although the pianos will be chained to bollards and railings, members of the public will be trusted not to vandalise the instruments or steal the laminated songbooks.

“Our projects are about increasing a sense of public spirit,” said Colette Hiller, director of the scheme, which is part of the Sing London festival. “We want people to treat the piano nicely, as they would a piano in their own home, to enjoy the songbooks with care and to cover the piano when it rains.”

The pianos will be available to play from June 23 for three weeks.

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