From 4th September, 20 "public pianos" will be distributed across Bristol by local artist Luke Jerram. The street art event has been organised by the Colston Hall in celebration of their newly refurbished facilities.

The pianos will be chained to lampposts and trees in various locations with the intention of livening up the city, bringing music to our ears, and generally getting people talking more.

Luke has taken his project around the world, and now Bristol gets to feel the effects of more musical streets. To date 'Play Me, I'm Yours' has been presented in London, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Birmingham and Bury St. Edmunds. Luke said "I have taken the idea around the world, and I'm taking it home."

On the 16th June 2009,  'Play Me, I'm Yours' was discussed in the House of Lords regarding the absurdity of the UK music licencing laws.

‘Play Me, I’m Yours’ provides an interconnected resource, an empty blank canvas, for the public to express themselves and share their creativity.

This main project website www.streetpianos.com was made for the public to post their comments about the pianos, describe their use. The site has helped document each piano’s journey whilst connecting the street pianos and their communities across each city.

The pianos have been purchased from a local piano removal firm for £100 each.

'Mr Jerram, 34, said he had come up with the idea while at a laundrette. He said: "I noticed that people weren't talking to each other, even though it was the same people every week. It was the same queuing for the bus.

"I thought 'wouldn't it be nice transform that situation'. So I thought about putting a piano in that situation, and it seemed to work. He said: "There seems to be a lot of musicians out there who don't have access to a piano. It's a canvass for their creativity."'

Visit Luke Jerram's website