How A Street Piano Keeps The Community In Tune

By Ioanna Karavela Last edited 113 months ago

Last Updated 03 July 2015

How A Street Piano Keeps The Community In Tune

What happens when you put a piano on public display with a sign saying: "Play me, I'm yours"?

This melodious London Short by independent filmmaker Maureen Ni Fiann shows how such an experiment has transformed the local community in Herne Hill. The street piano in question is located in the underpass next to the train station where it has become the talk of the town, attracting both a loyal following and national interest.

The People's Piano is Ni Fiann's first film, which she made with the help of cameraman Tom Rochester. She tells Londonist: "I was interested in the overlapping of different communities: homeless guy, kids, traffic warden, professional musician — all around the same piano. It's rare for people to mix outside their usual networks and it was striking how they did so easily around the piano."

It's an uplifting film that shows how much we all really have in common. Ni Fiann is now working on Street Piano: Instrument of Change, a longer documentary about the subject, so stay tuned for more soon.

Want to be featured? If you have a London-themed short film that you’d like us to consider for this series, send an email with the subject “London Shorts” to Stu Black and Ioanna Karavela via our email: [email protected]

To see other London Shorts click here.