Player Piano

George Simonds

The centerpiece of this show is my version of a player piano, a mechanical, self playing piano that was popular in the late 19th and early 20th century. It is made from a salvaged piano leg with a motor attached to the wheel. When the wheel spins it produces a sound, so who’s to say it’s not an instrument? While it doesn’t look like a traditional player piano, it is a part of a piano that has been mechanized to make its own music. The music sounds a lot like a donkey. This old piano leg is encased in brand new white painted boards lit by an LED light ring.

I am drawn to objects that have been forgotten and worn down by time, usually objects that were manufactured to serve a purpose or do a job. These objects are often older than I am, and have existed long before I turn them into "art". I want to maintain the character of these objects while giving them a new purpose, not only as a piece of art, but as a machine with a new function. With no engineering education, my machines are not perfect. Like people, they have flaws, and they don't always do what they were built to do. They take on a haphazard energy, balancing on the edge of success and failure. My process makes me think about the "function" of art. Fine Art doesn't have an obvious utilitarian purpose, and yet we find it so important. My sculptures are machines that don't produce anything other than a feeling, hopefully.
- George Simonds

DIRECTIONS:

Take 2, 3, or 4 trains to Franklin Avenue. Walk two blocks against the traffic on Franklin. Walk ¾ block to 558 St. Johns Place. FiveMyles is within easy walking distance from the Brooklyn Museum.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

FiveMyles is in part supported by the New York State Council for the Arts, Public Funds from the New York City Dept. of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Council Member Crystal Hudson, The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, the Joseph Robert Foundation, and the William Talbott Hillman Foundation.