NEDERLANDS

Questions & Answers

Walk inside a Piano · Concept, technology and experience

Electric Grand is more than a piano and more than a concert. It is a spatial sound installation in which music, visual art, technology and architecture come together. Visitors can literally walk through the instrument and experience music not only as sound, but as a physical environment.

During Dutch Design Week (DDW), visitors asked many questions about how the installation works, how it was built and what inspired the project. Here are the answers.

1. The Concept and the Artists

What exactly is Electric Grand – Walk inside a Piano?

Electric Grand is a spatial sound installation that transforms an electric-acoustic grand piano into an immersive, walk-through soundscape. Individual piano notes are reproduced by speakers distributed throughout a large bamboo structure. Instead of sitting in front of a piano, visitors can literally walk through the music.

Who created Electric Grand?

Electric Grand is a collaboration between visual artist Antoon Versteegde and pianist and composer Bart van Dongen. Versteegde develops the spatial bamboo structure, while Van Dongen brings together the piano, composition and improvisation to create a unique musical experience.

What makes the installation special?

In a traditional concert, music usually comes from a stage. In Electric Grand, each note has its own physical location in space. Visitors actively shape their listening experience by walking around, changing their position and discovering different layers of sound. Spatial architecture becomes part of the music.

What is our purpose on Earth? What is Electric Grand really about?

Perhaps this is the biggest question Electric Grand raises. The installation offers no ready-made answers, but invites us to listen, to experience and to reflect for ourselves. A piano consists of individual keys, strings and notes. Only when they come together does music emerge. In the same way, our world consists of countless individuals who can create something together that is greater than any one of us alone. In Electric Grand, this idea is literally transformed into a spatial experience. Each note has its own place, yet gains meaning through its relationship with the other notes. Visitors move through this soundscape and become part of the whole. Perhaps life is not only about who we are as individuals, but above all about what can emerge between us. About working together, listening to one another and making room for differences. Electric Grand does not offer an answer to the question of our purpose on Earth. It creates a space in which we can experience that question anew.

2. The Piano and Sound Technology

Which piano is at the heart of Electric Grand?

The installation is based on the Yamaha CP-70B, an electric grand piano originally introduced in the 1970s. It combines the playing experience of a acoustic piano with an electric pickup system that converts string vibrations into electrical signals.

Does each piano key have its own speaker?

Yes. The installation uses 72 separate audio channels, each connected to its own speaker. This allows individual notes to be assigned their own physical positions in the space, rather than all the sound coming from a central pair of speakers.

Why are the speakers housed in terracotta pots?

The terracotta pots house the speakers and give the installation its distinctive sculptural appearance. They make the sound sources visible and connect the electronic technology with the natural materials of the bamboo structure.

How is the sound distributed throughout the space?

The piano's individual signals are processed separately and routed through a multichannel amplification system to their corresponding speakers. These speakers are suspended at different positions within the structure. The result is a spatial sound field in which individual notes can be heard from different directions.

Can the volume of each speaker be adjusted independently?

Yes. Each channel has its own volume control. This allows the artists to balance the individual notes precisely and adapt the installation to the acoustics and conditions of each venue.

What was the role of Fontys InnovationLab?

Fontys InnovationLab collaborated on the further development of the multichannel electronics. The work focused on signal processing, amplification and individual volume control for each channel. These technical improvements make it possible to fine-tune the spatial sound more precisely and improve the reliability of the installation.

3. The Bamboo Structure and Water Buckets

Why is the installation built from bamboo?

Bamboo is lightweight, strong and flexible. Antoon Versteegde has been working with bamboo and elastic connections since 1984. This simple construction method allows large spatial structures to be assembled and, in some projects, built collaboratively with visitors. After an installation, the components can be taken apart and reused.

In Electric Grand, the bamboo structure forms both the architecture of the installation and the framework supporting the speakers.

What is the purpose of the black buckets filled with water?

The buckets serve as ballast, providing weight at the base of the structure. This helps keep the structure in position and contributes to its stability at an open-air location, where wind and accidental contact with visitors may be factors.

Water is practical because they can be filled with water on-site and easily emptied when being dismantled.. The buckets are not part of the sound system.

Does the water affect the piano's sound?

No. The water is not intended to function as a sound chamber, resonator or acoustic dampener. Its purpose is structural. The music is produced by the speakers housed in the terracotta pots.

The water buckets therefore have no direct role in the electronic or acoustic operation of Electric Grand.

Does the ground surface affect the sound?

Yes. The ground surface and surrounding environment influence how sound is reflected and absorbed. Hard surfaces such as stone generally reflect more sound than grass or soft ground. A wooden floor can also affect the listening experience, depending on its construction and whether it vibrates in response to the sound.

Because Electric Grand uses many individual sound sources, these differences can affect clarity, the separation between notes and the overall spatial experience. The installation is therefore adjusted to suit the conditions of each venue.

4. The Musical Experience

What do visitors hear as they walk through the installation?

The experience depends on the music, the visitor's position and the balance between the individual speakers. A note may sound close or distant; several notes may blend together or remain distinct. As visitors move through the structure, their listening perspective continually changes.

Are there live performances?

Yes. Pianist and composer Bart van Dongen performs live and improvises on the Yamaha CP-70B. These performances alternate with periods when visitors are free to explore the installation independently. Guided tours may also offer additional insight into the technology, construction and ideas behind the project.

Is Electric Grand a concert, a work of art or a musical instrument?

It is all three, but it cannot be defined by any one of them alone. Electric Grand is an instrument that creates a spatial artwork, an architectural environment that produces music, and a place where visitors can discover their own way of listening. The boundaries between stage, instrument, artwork and audience begin to dissolve.

5. The History of Electric Grand

Where has Electric Grand been presented before?

The first try-out took place at Zaal 100 in Amsterdam on 3 August 2021. Later that month, the installation was presented to a larger audience at Theaterfestival Boulevard / November Music on Tour in 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.

The project subsequently appeared at Cultura Nova in Heerlen, the Netherlands, Citadelic Festival in Ghent, Belgium, and Summer Bummer in Antwerp, Belgium.

In 2025, a renewed try-out took place at Paviljoen Ongehoorde Muziek in Eindhoven. The presentation at Dutch Design Week in October 2026 builds on these earlier performances and the ongoing technical development of the installation.

How has the installation changed since its first presentation?

Over the years, both the technical systems and the spatial arrangement have evolved. Work has focused on improving the reliability of the multichannel audio system, refining individual volume controls and balancing the sound of the separate speakers. The physical layout has also been adapted.

Experience gained at earlier festivals and test locations provided the basis for the renewed presentation at Ketelhuisplein.

What were the test locations used for?

The various workshops and test locations provided opportunities to develop specific aspects of the project. At Fontys InnovationLab, the focus was on the electronics. Paviljoen Ongehoorde Muziek in Eindhoven served as a place for rehearsals, experiments and preparations. Other tests focused on spatial sound and the fine-tuning of the audio system.

6. After Dutch Design Week

What happens to Electric Grand after DDW?

After the event, the installation is dismantled. The piano, electronics, speakers and other components are carefully stored for future use. The bamboo structure is taken apart, and usable bamboo poles and connectors are kept for future projects.

Electric Grand is designed as a travelling installation that can be rebuilt and adapted for different locations.

Can Electric Grand be installed at other venues?

Yes. The installation is intended for repeated presentations at a variety of cultural venues, from festivals and outdoor spaces to concert halls and art pavilions. The precise configuration and sound settings depend on the available space, acoustics and practical conditions.

Can Electric Grand be booked for future events?

For information about future presentations, collaborations or bookings, please contact the artists through the Electric Grand website.

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