The City of Fort Lauderdale collaborates with Cadence and Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale to enliven urban landscape. On April 27 and 28, 2013 Play Your City will launch during a weekend event that spans both FATVillage’s monthly Art Walk and Riverwalk’s Sunday Arts event. The City of Fort Lauderdale and Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale have partnered with Cadence, a downtown based Landscape Architecture and Urban Design firm to collaborate on this public art and music installation. Riverwalk Sunday Arts Facebook Event HERE>>
The launch event will be held Saturday April 27 during FATVillage Art Walk from 7pm-11pm and Sunday April 28th in the Riverwalk Pavilion amid the Sunday Arts vendors from 11am-2pm. The double header launch event will feature the brigade of pianos all in one venue for the public to view before they are dispersed throughout Downtown Fort Lauderdale. A map of the piano’s traveling schedule will be on display and featured artists will be on hand for attending visitors to meet. The public will also have a hand in deciding the final locati! on of each of these pianos. A ballot of various locations downtown will be provided for visitors to choose the top destinations for each piano to make its final home.
“The Fort Lauderdale Play Your City project is inspired by the success of other national cities implementing similar projects to activate their urban public spaces.” said Phil Thornburg, Director of Ft Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department. “This demonstrates a low-cost way to instantly activate public spaces and ultimately improve the livability of the city. This tactical urbanism approach will help to cultivate vibrancy, allowing users to experience these urban environments in a more interactive setting.” said Co-Founder of Cadence, Gage Couch. Cadence brings their background in urban design and experience from the community event Revel on the Block to connect both physical and social landscapes to the Play your City project team.
“Encouraging citizens to spontaneously connect through viewing artists’ pianos and promoting impromptu public interaction around music, the piano becomes the catalyst for activating space and engaging the community in the underutilized public landscapes we have around downtown Fort Lauderdale.” said Rebecca Bradley Co-Founder of Cadence. “Seeing these pianos move around downtown and seeing what transpires around them will be exciting to watch” said Genia Duncan-Ellis, President and CEO of Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale. She continues, “Adding them to the mix of activities we already have in place along Fort Lauderdale’s Riverwalk seemed a natural fit, this is just the type of year-round activity the Riverwalk strives to provide for residents and visitors alike.”
Play Your City will feature repurposed pianos by artists Brian Buzzella, Luzalma Gonzalez, Richard Vergez and two by MoAFL Art Academy Students. The Play your City brigade of pianos will be in various locations around Downtown for a three-month period. “We’re delighted to see the City working with local designers, artists and non-profit organizations to improve the vibrancy of Downtown for those that work and live here.” says Bradley.
To learn more about this project or to volunteer for the launch events, please e-mail hello@cadenceliving.com and follow the movement on facebook/FTLplayyourcity and Instagram #FTLplayyourcity.