Played & Remade

in collaboration with

The Choir of Birds

Marc Hackworthy is an artist and piano tuner / technician who transforms unplayable pianos into animal sculptures.

Before deciding to create a sculpture, he assesses every recycled piano to see if it can be given a new life through restoration. Unfortunately, some pianos are prohibitively expensive to restore and get working again, and those are the ones Marc uses for his sculptures. Although investment in these particular instruments is unviable, they provide truly incredible materials to recycle and work with. With over a decade of experience in piano tuning, restoration, and creative projects, Marc brings together my technical expertise and passion for pianos to create unique works of art.

The inspiration for this piano sculpture was mainly from a 17th century series of paintings by Frans Snyders, Concert of Birds (1929-30), depicting various birds from around the world performing a concert together.

The birds are well-known song birds: the nightingale, blackbird, bluebird, brown thrasher, and canary. The scarlet ibis, which is not a song bird, in the bottom door of the piano was made from a grand lyre. Its unusually long beak would very much suit the conductor of the choir.

In this piano sculpture, the birds are made from six different recycled pianos, each with their own unique materials. For example, the blackbird was made from a black Challen upright piano and the canary from a light oak upright with an old, yellowing set of piano keys. The birds (choir) are various species from different parts of the world, celebrating diversity in the UK music industry.

The piano was restored by Marc in his own workshop in Frome. More information on the history of the pianos used in his sculpture can be found on his website; www.marchackworthy.com

Every piece in our Played & Remade collection is individually handcrafted from recycled piano materials. Each work carries its own character and story; for bespoke pricing and purchase details, we invite you to contact us directly.

PRICE:POA