The Diana Piano

The Diana Piano is an audience interactive sculptural work. The piano is a full-scale parlor grand, fabricated in plywood. There are 13 tape-recorders situated in the body of the piano that are activated by the viewer pressing down on the keyboard. The recordings are played back on continuous cassette-tape loops varying in length from 10 seconds to 3 minutes. The recorded material is a combination of classical piano improvisations and text. The material was written and performed by Vancouver artist Diana Kemble. The writing, taken from journal entries and letters, is poetic and personal in nature. The Diana Piano is similar to the Diana camera, a toy camera that actually takes pictures. Although it has been used by professional artists, the Diana camera was geared towards the novice in the serious act of discovery through play. The Diana Piano functions in a parallel fashion, giving those of us who are untrained access to our musicality.