Appetite is bringing a worldwide street music project to the Potteries this summer and is appealing for people to donate pianos to make this a success.

Play Me, I’m Yours makes pianos available for anyone to play in public spaces such as parks, shopping centres and city streets.“We are looking for around 20 pianos for the project so we are appealing for anyone with an unwanted piano to get in touch with us,” said Gary Cicinskas, Appetite Programme Manager “We will transport them and tune them up but we cannot return them as the idea is to leave them with community group for future public use.”

Play Me, I’m Yours has reached over six million people worldwide, including New York, Paris and London since being launched by British artist Luke Jerram in 2008, having originally taken place in Birmingham.

Added Gary: “Play Me, I’m Yours has seen over 1,300 pianos being played in 43 cities across the globe and we are delighted to be able to bring it to Stoke-on-Trent this summer.

Community groups and artists will be encouraged to decorate and create events around the pianos which will appear in a wide range of places across the city for a whole month for people to enjoy. Everyone is invited to ‘play me, I’m yours’

Play Me, I’m Yours will be part of Appetite’s summer 2014 programme and will hit the streets in early August.

To donate a piano please contact Appetite by email at [email protected] or call 01782 454404 and Appetite will take care of the rest.

ENDS

For media enquiries contact Nigel Howle by phone on 07762043436 or email, [email protected]

Notes to Editors:

Appetite is the Creative People and Places programme taking place in Stoke-on-Trent from 2013 to 2016. Appetite aims to get more people in Stoke-on-Trent to experience and be inspired by the arts. This investment in the arts and cultural sector of the area aims to mobilise and strengthen the skills, knowledge and infrastructure that already exists within the area and provide unprecedented opportunities for more people to see, make and influence more art in the city.

The Appetite programme is funded by Arts Council England and is led by the New Vic Theatre in partnership with B Arts, Brighter Futures, Partners in Creative Learning and Staffordshire University. It is supported by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

For further information on Appetite contact Karl Greenwood, Project Director. Telephone 01782 381373 (ext 310) or email [email protected]

Visit the Appetite website at www.appetitestoke.co.uk

Luke Jerram

Living in the UK, but working internationally, Luke Jerram’s multidisciplinary work involves the creation of sculptures, installations and live arts projects.

Jerram is known worldwide for his large scale public engagement artworks. His celebrated street pianos installation, Play Me I’m Yours, has been presented in 44 cities reaching an audience of 6 million people.

Luke Jerram lives in Bristol UK with his wife Shelina Jerram and their two children.