Old pianos that can’t produce music anymore are usually sent to landfills or recycled in some way. However, as the works of Australian artist David Cox show, there is a much better way to treat these musical instruments.
Cox uses parts of old pianos, mainly their keys, to create fascinating phoenix sculptures. His works serve as a captivating wall art while giving the instrument a new life and preserving the memories that were created with it.
“You can’t just take it to the tip and bury something like that in landfill, it’d just feel disrespectful. So for me, it’s an honor to be trusted to take something that means so much to people, and find another way it can bring some joy and beauty to a home,” Cox shared in a recent interview with New Atlas.
Cox started resurrecting old pianos almost by accident. His friend was building a recording studio and wanted to have a unique wall art to fill the space. Being a self-described “junk collector,” Cox found a set of piano keys in his studio and decided to repurpose them as a phoenix sculpture.
When people saw his first sculpture, they wanted similar artwork for themselves, so Cox kept on crafting them. He sources his material by finding old piano parts for sale, but also directly from owners who want their musical instrument turned into a lasting piece of art.
Cox recently finished his 50th phoenix sculpture and intends to keep on increasing that number as long as there are old pianos that need a new purpose. Scroll down to check out more of his works.
