"This city is a piano and you are one of the notes," are the words that usually twist the arm of apprehensive strangers when being asked to sing in front of camera. Suddenly realizing that they are about to be part of something bigger than themselves gives them just enough confidence to open their mouths and join a choir of strangers that they'll likely never meet.
They are first year teachers and retired engineers, millionaire investors and street punk skaters, operatic divas and tone deaf teenagers. Black, white, brown, yellow, red, blue, green, and everything in between. A musical cross section of people who, despite their initial apprehension, are singing in public.
Their voices and faces are being collected for a series of large-scale interactive musical artworks titled, On a Human Scale. These works aim to transform cities and populations into instruments that celebrate the beauty that can be when we embrace human diversity. Each person occupies their own note on the piano, and when played all together the instruments create an immersive visual choir of everyday anybodies blurring the lines between participant, performer, audience, and artwork. Everyone, is quite literally playing their part.
On a Human Scale is just getting started, we've filmed and exhibited small two octave versions in New York City and Guadalajara, Mexico, but this is only the beginning. The piano is growing and embarking on a mission to film, create, and stage site-specific versions of the instrument in cities around the world. On a Human Scale Los Angeles, Shanghai, Gaza, Buenos Aires, Lagos, and beyond. With the help of museums and organizations around the world, we are compiling what will one day become a fully playable musical portrait of humanity.
If you or someone you know are interested in becoming part of On a Human Scale contact Matthew Matthew at earscanseeme@gmail.com
To learn more about the GOOD+Marriott Live, Work and Create in L.A. Challenge, check out http://liveworkcreate.maker.good.is.