In Western Australia, musician Ross Bolleter collects ruined pianos that he parks into open cemeteries and from which he draws his inspiration for his compositions. In this publication, Bolleter explains his musical practice and tells the unique story of these ruined pianos scattered in the heart of the Australian territory.
“A piano is said to be Ruined (rather than Neglected or Devastated) when it has been abandoned to all weathers and has become a decaying box of unpredictable dongs, clicks and dedoomps, with not a single note (perhaps excepting "D") sounding like one from an even-tempered upright piano. Sometimes you push down one key, and five or six others companionably go down with it, making for a surprise cluster, and swathes of harmonics singing forever. The notes that don't work—clicks, doks and tonks— are at least as interesting as those that do.”
Ross Bolleter
Ross Bolleter (born 1946 in Subiaco, Western Australia) is an Australian avantgarde composer and and improviser notable for his experimentation on old pianos that have been found after having been left exposed to the action of time and weather (he classifies his pianos into different categories: neglected, abandoned, weathered, decayed, ruined, devastated, decomposed, annihilated), thus acquiring novel and unexpected musical possibilities. His recordings are published by the Emanem and WARPS (World Association for Ruined Piano Studies) labels. In 2021, he released the great Total Piano on Thödol Records.
