Play me a tune: Colourful pianos coming to Whitehorse
Pianos will be painted by local artists and put in public spaces for anyone to play
A Whitehorse musician is bringing a bit of music and colour to downtown streets.
Inspired by an international art installation called 'Play me, I'm yours', which features pianos temporarily put in public spaces for anyone to play, Grant Simpson recently bought a second-hand piano.
When his partner, a visual artist, finishes painting it, the piano will be put somewhere it can be enjoyed by the public.
"It's sort of a Whitehorse pride thing I guess," Simpson says about his motivation for the project.
He says he hopes the pianos draw more tourists and residents downtown.
Mystery location
The first piano will be unveiled on July 28, but Simpson won't say where. He wants the sponsoring business to have the honour of announcing the location.
Simpson says when he first shared his public pianos idea with the community, he got a quick response. Because of the enthusiasm, Simpson plans to have four pianos on the streets this summer and maybe six or seven by next year.
He's been working with local businesses that agree to take the pianos inside each night.
"In general, it's a feel good community thing to do," says Simpson.
With files from Dave White