The thought of looming deadlines really concentrates the mind. This weekend, the Pianodrome team opens the Pianodrome Bruntsfield Community Hub at the St Oswald’s Centre, and those involved are working vigorously to get the venue ready for Friday’s ‘soft’ launch.
As I gingerly stepped into the hall on Tuesday, the air was thick with the competing aromas of fresh paint (from the doors) and the rich scent of linseed oil, applied to the floor. Removing the lino and sanding the original wood has been one of the most time-consuming parts of the project, but it’s clearly been worth it, revealing a beautiful, welcoming wooden floor. This focus on revival connects to the core ethos of the Pianodrome – the creative reuse of what is unused and ignored.
From discarded to distinguished
The Pianodrome has become renowned as one of the most interesting cultural projects in the city, manifesting a profound desire to reuse rather than discard. There is a clear harmony between the project’s cultural and environmental aspects.
The most visible manifestation is the creation of “unique playable, community-centred sculptures made entirely from otherwise disused pianos.” These imaginatively re-adapted pianos make for a satisfying performance space, one that has already hosted many excellent musical performances. Crucially, the wood absorbs the sound, allowing it to flow around the little timber amphitheatre, enhancing the acoustic experience.
A permanent home and growing reach
St Oswald’s Hall will now serve as a permanent home for the Pianodrome, complementing, not replacing, their large warehouse and workshop space in Granton.
The new Bruntsfield location is, in contrast, easily accessible, surrounded by busy residential areas and popular shopping destinations, a move that should significantly grow the project’s prominence and reputation.
I was given a preview by Tom Nelson, one of the team members and the venue manager for the Bruntsfield hub’s opening. Nelson has a close affinity with the project, having got married at the Pianodrome in Granton – and the structure now installed in Bruntsfield is the very one he got married in.
While a second Pianodrome, previously in storage since being set up at the Old Royal High School, has now been set up in Granton, and a third was installed in Charlotte, North Carolina, a few months ago, Tom was tight-lipped about where further Pianodromes might pop up in the future.
Breathing life into St Oswald’s
The wider revival of the St Oswald’s Centre is a major project in itself. The building, mothballed for decades, has suffered from substantial water ingress and wood rot. While damaged wood is being cleared and repair is ongoing in many areas, the building’s potential is clear. The arrival of the Pianodrome gives the entire effort a clear focus and an injection of creative energy.
The Pianodrome occupies the main hall, with the back hall rented out to various groups. In time, the intention is for other parts of the building to become properly usable. Finding new uses for old buildings is a societal challenge—manifested in the long search for appropriate occupants for the old Royal High School, for instance. The future of St Oswald’s now looks significantly more promising.
Tom relates that the Pianodrome had previously approached St Oswald’s under prior management, but this time, things fell into place seamlessly, with both parties singing from the same hymnsheet. The Pianodrome is now fully invested in the wider restoration, and they will launch a Crowdfunder this weekend to assist with the project.
Key to this fundraising effort is an auction of various items, including ‘the elephant in the room’; a unique structure built, like the Pianodromes, from unwanted piano parts. Having previously been shown in Leeds and Ocean Terminal, it will hopefully attract substantial bids, with the money to be reinvested directly into the restoration.
From exam nerves to nerve-jangling tests
Getting ready for the opening has involved many long, cold days and nights in the largely unheated hall. During my visit, the team drew warmth and energy from copious cups of tea, readying them for the next burst of activity.
The sense of tension stemming from a looming deadline will be familiar to generations of Boroughmuir High School pupils. St Oswald’s was, in the school’s Viewforth days, used for Drama classes, jumble sales and, more significantly, as the location for end-of-year exams. Thousands of pupils waited nervously outside, entering trepidatiously, often realising upon opening the exam paper that their ‘revision strategy’ had not paid off-certainly true in my case!
Decades later, I still felt a slight tingle of anxiety when stepping into the hall. This time, instead of grim-faced invigilators, I was met with the engaged and engaging Pianodrome team. However, the place is still one of nerve-jangling tests. As Tom and I watched from the balcony, we saw a health and safety inspector vigorously pull and prod various segments of the Pianodrome. Would it be given the all-clear for public use? Tom flinched as the wood creaked, but the test seemed to have been passed. The stage is set.
The Pianodrome Bruntsfield Community Hub, in the St Oswald’s Centre in Bruntsfield opens on Friday 24 October and will be open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10-5pm.
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