For this piece, I worked with small wooden and metal components typically hidden within a piano—pieces rarely seen but essential to its function. After completing my MFA show, I wanted to create something fun and a little “cuckoo,” so I dug through my collection of spare parts and selected the most unique ones.
I mounted these fragments on wooden dowels and attached them to smoothed piano boards, planed down to reveal their natural beauty. Suspended in upside-down V-shaped pairs from piano strings, one was connected to a timed rotation, activating every hour, while the other was left to respond freely to the surrounding air currents.
Lighting played a key role, casting dynamic shadows that intersected and danced across the walls, enhancing the piece’s playful and unpredictable nature. My goal was to reveal the intricate craftsmanship hidden inside pianos, surprising viewers with the realization that every component came from dismantled instruments. More than anything, I wanted people to enjoy the movement, light, and whimsy of these reimagined piano parts.
Art Exhibitions
Cuckoo Bananas Over Small Piano Parts, Staff and Sessionals: THE GREAT CONJUNCTION, Staff and Sessional Show, Gordon Snelgrove Gallery, The School for the Arts’ Department of Art & Art History, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, September 23, 2024 – October 18, 2024