Engineering:The Walking Piano
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The Walking Piano, also called the Big Piano by its creator, Remo Saraceni, is an oversized synthesizer.[1] Merging dance, music, and play, it is played by the user's feet tapping the keys to make music. Versions of the piano have been installed in museums, children's hospitals, and other public places around the world.
History
Remo Saraceni created a musical daisy for the Bicentennial Celebration in Philadelphia (Design for Fun). From there the concept grew. It took shape with an intermediate stop at an interactive futon, and the first ‘Big Piano’ was built in 1982.” The piano was on display at the F.A.O. Schwartz toy store in New York City when famed movie producer/director Steven Spielberg’s sister saw it and told her brother all about it. [2]
Versions
An early version of the Walking Piano was installed at FAO Schwarz in New York City in 1982. A new version was specifically created for the 1988 Tom Hanks movie Big at the request of director Penny Marshall.[3][4][5] That piano was housed in the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania until about 2013.[3][6]
Reception
The BIG Piano has had continued to enjoy media success, appearing in movies such as The Night Before starring Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It has also featured in TV Series such as Dancing With The Stars, Puttin' On the Ritz , and The Voice Season Premier Feat John Legend. It was also named as one of the most iconic movie props ever.[7]
In November 2019, Kansas city outdoor BIG Piano at Kansas city Children's Mercy Hospital celebrated 20 years of putting smiles on patient faces.[8]
See also
References
- ↑ Louie, Elaine (September 29, 1988). "A Piano You Can Walk On". The New York Times. https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEFDA1239F93AA1575AC0A96E948260. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ↑ Len Lear,"Local rocket scientist became ‘Piano Man’ for Tom Hanks". chestnuthilllocal.com. 22 June 2018. https://www.chestnuthilllocal.com/2018/06/22/local-rocket-scientist-became-piano-man-for-tom-hanks/. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Larry Getlen (2013-12-07). "FAO Schwarz piano still a hit 25 years after ‘Big’". NY Post. https://nypost.com/2013/12/07/fao-schwarz-piano-still-a-hit-25-years-after-hanks-movie/. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
- ↑ "Featured in Big, Remo Saraceni's Walking Piano Plays Its Sweetest Music at the Cash Register". People. September 12, 1988. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20099901,00.html. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
- ↑ McFarland, Kevin (October 14, 2013). "Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock recreated the walking piano scene from Big on a British late-night show". The A.V. Club. http://www.avclub.com/articles/tom-hanks-and-sandra-bullock-recreated-the-walking,104185/. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
- ↑ Alison Smith (2015-02-25). "Please Touch Named a Top Children's Museum". patch.com. http://patch.com/pennsylvania/ardmore/please-touch-named-top-childrens-museum. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
- ↑ "The Most Iconic Movie Props And The Stories Behind Them". trend-chaser.com. https://www.trend-chaser.com/entertainment/movies/the-most-iconic-movie-props-and-the-stories-behind-them/?view-all&chrome=1&D4c=1&D_4_6cALL=1&D_4_6_10cALL=1&A5c=1. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ↑ "Nutter Home Loans Celebrates the Inclusive Updates to the Sybil Silkwood Nutter Playground". trend-chaser.com. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nutter-home-loans-celebrates-inclusive-150100842.html. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
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