Slave Pianos

Overview

I'm not quite sure that I'd be ethically comfortable with slaves of my own, but I think I could overlook these concerns if my slaves were pianos. They seem big and strong enough to do the heavy jobs, and it would be nice to have an occasional sonata around the house. So perhaps I need a reminder that pianos should not be subject to human whim, that they should be respected, admired and sometimes just left alone.

In Slave Pianos, an innocent piano is found guilty of treachery and sentenced to execution by hanging. In this absurdly allegorical narrative, the piano is ripped from its pianist, deported and brutally executed. This performance piece will end as an exhibition and memorial to the piano's memory, titled Penalogical Pianology: The Timbers of Justice, in which both the gallows and the deceased piano will operate mechanically as musical instruments. A fun and fascinating avant-garde approach to colonialism.

Image by Andrius Lipšys.