the london

The question, “Is this based upon a Steinway & Sons piano?” was frequently asked of The Baby, leading Based Upon to pursue a collaborative relationship with the makers of the world’s finest traditional pianos.

‘The Manhattan’, was Based Upon’s first collaboration with Steinway & Sons. As a one-of-one commission by a New York based client, ‘The Manhattan’ saw the form of a Steinway & Sons grand piano respectfully and humbly reimagined by Based Upon, where the sound, tone and dynamic resonance of the instrument were artfully preserved through exhaustive observations and considerations. One single gesture wraps around the entire piano, bringing it to its most minimal state. The music desk celebrates the intricacies of the piano’s sound board, the hinge adopts the Manhattan cityscape as though reflected in the Hudson River, and a mesmerising artwork consisting of painted layers of lacquer illustrates an interpretation of Manhattan’s night sky on the underside of the Steinway & Sons piano’s vast lid.

For The London, The Manhattan’s successor, Based Upon sought inspiration from the leaves of the London Plane tree, a species found in the city’s central locations such as The Mall, Berkeley Square and Regents Park. Noting the veins of the leaf are redolent of London’s fabled streets, the Plane tree’s leaves have been cast in brass to form the piano’s music desk. On the underside of the lid, the leaf is subtly placed as though in motion, caught by the wind, while the topstick is an abstraction of a Plane tree’s branch. London’s skyline is elegantly depicted on the piano’s hinge, informed by a series of photographs taken by Based Upon as they walked the banks of the city’s River Thames.

The London, available for commission via Steinway & Sons UK.