BULLET PIANO
Process
The Bullet Piano is a grand piano made of bullet casings collected from military and police shooting ranges. These bullet casings are purchased in bulk from a company that processes them for re-use (cleaning and packaging them so they can be re-loaded with lead to make them fire-able, lethal bullets again). The processed casings are shipped directly to our foundry partner in Los Angeles. The foundry melts down these bullet casings in a large crucible, then uses positive molds made of wood, fabricated from digital scans of our Piano In The Wild piano, to green-sand cast the molten bullets into the sides, lid, legs, and bench of the Bullet Piano. The impressions of these positive molds that are left in the green-sand (a mixture of oil and sand the consistency of play-doh) are filled by the molten bullets (the process of pouring molten metal into molds is called 'casting'). The pieces, once cooled, are assembled into the Bullet Piano body. The harp (strings), string block (where the strings are attached to tuning pegs), and keyboard mechanism from our Piano In The Wild instrument are then installed in the Bullet Piano body, making it playable.
Artist Statement
The idea is to turn something violent into something creative. By sourcing our bullets from a company that sells them for the purpose of being reloaded, we are removing bullets from a cycle of violent intention. This is an additional dimension of meaning: can we find ways to repurpose materials and artifacts of violence into instruments of creation?
The Bullet Piano is a transformative sculptural piece: a grand piano materializes, forged from the molten remains of once-fired bullet casings. By repurposing evidence of violent intent, we aim to manifest a profound shift, wherein the destructive energy of bullets is transmuted into a symbol of creative purpose, offering a compelling narrative of metamorphosis and a promise of harmony.
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