[ Julian Dyer wrote to me:
 [
 [   "Earlier this year I cut some rolls for an art installation here
 [ in the UK, at the Manchester Art Gallery as part of the Manchester
 [ International Festival.  This installation has now been selected
 [ for the Whitney Museum of American Art's biennial exhibition, in
 [ New York City -- a highly prestigious event.
 [
 [   "Is there anybody who can provide a player piano for this?  It
 [ needs to be an 88-note instrument, electrified, and in fit condition
 [ to run for several hours a day for the duration of the show.
 [ There'll be an attendant present at all times, changing the rolls --
 [ that's the essence of this part of the installation."
 [
 [ Artist Lucy Raven provided this additional information:

Dear Robbie,  Thanks for your note.  The exhibition at the Whitney
Museum in New York is a group exhibition that runs every two years,
and is widely regarded as the most important group exhibition in
America.  There will be various sorts of artwork on display from the
selected artists (the group of artists has not been publicly announced
yet); mainly painting and sculpture, but also some video, and more
performative works.  It will run from February 27, 2012, through early
May.

My piece, which Julian mentioned, was first commissioned for a group
exhibition in Manchester this past summer, and will be restaged for the
Whitney show.  The piano we used in Manchester cannot be shipped, so
we're hoping to borrow one in or close to New York, and of course would
credit the lender.  Julian's description of what's needed below is just
right.

The piece involves an 88-key player piano which plays three different
variations of the contemporary song called "Dance Yrself Clean" by the
band LCD Soundsystem.  The song, composed largely on synthesizer, was
interpreted for pianola by the pianist and composer Jason Moran, in
three versions, which run 8:58 min, 5:23 min, and 3:28 min respectively.

In Manchester, the performance was continuous throughout the day, but
for this exhibition, there will be just one "recital" of the three
pieces each day, at a fixed time.  As in Manchester, there will be an
attendant present at all times to watch over the piano when it's not in
use, and to change the rolls during the performance.

Please let me know if you have any other questions, and I'd be very
happy to answer them for you.  I look forward to hearing back from you!

All my very best,

Lucy Raven
lr@lucyraven.com.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]

 [ Lucy's exhibition, "What Manchester Does Today,
 [ the Rest of the World Does Tomorrow," is described at
 [ http://www.lucyraven.com/index.php?/projects/what-manchester-does-today/ 
 [ -- Robbie