Painted Piano Project at UTSC
Thank you to our partners...
• Department of Arts, Culture and Media
• U of T Scarborough Healthy Campus
• U of T Scarborough Facilities Management
Meet the Artist:
Connie Lin
UTSC Alumni
Artist bio
My name is Connie Lin and I recently completed my degree this August. While my degree is in computer science, I have always had a passion for the visual arts. As a result, I spent much of my time at UTSC studying the intersection of technology and art through topics like user interfaces and user experience, and computer graphics. Although I do not have a formal education in the arts, I believe studying digital design has helped me develop an eye for aesthetics and practical design. This public piano project interests me because it is an unique opportunity for me to apply my technical knowledge of digital design to a physical object. This project is also a nice opportunity for me to give back to the community which has given me so much love and support over the last few years.
Artist Statement
My design is inspired by the parks and nature walks both on campus and throughout Scarborough. The upper half of the front of the piano will feature the white cliffs of the Scarborough Bluffs. The Bluffs are on of Scarborough’s iconic natural landmarks along Lake Ontario. On the bottom half, I will take advantage of the shadow cast by the keyboard and paint various shrubs and small animals to mimic undergrowth in a forest. The sides will feature various animals in their local habitat. On the back, I plan to paint individual plants and animals labeled with their names to further highlight the biodiversity in Scarborough inspired by vintage science illustrations, assuming the back of the piano will be visible. As for style, I will be taking a colorful, somewhat painterly approach.
The Project
Public pianos can be found around the world in easily discoverable spaces for all to enjoy (e.g.,subway stations, parks, sidewalks, etc). Thanks to the Department of Arts, Culture and Media, SoundLife Scarborough acquired acoustic pianos that could be moved to accessible indoor/outdoor spaces across campus to be played by all who wish to through all seasons of the year. Before we moved the pianos, however, we sought out artists with awesome design ideas to paint them.
The Theme: Reflecting Scarborough
Let’s face it – Scarborough is pretty awesome. Our artist call was for designs which drew inspiration from the community of which UTSC is a part. We asked that they might focus on one element for which Scarborough is known or multiple threads that reflect the complex fabric that makes Scarborough an amazing place to be.
Winning Proposal Prize
The winning proposals were selected by the SoundLife Scarborough team and representatives of our amazing supporters. Our winner received $500 for supplies and an honorarium of $250, with the artist’s name added to the artwork with bio and artist statement placed on the instrument. Dedicated workspace in the Leigha Lee Browne Theatre tech lab w was made available to complete the project.
