Abandoned pianos in derelict buildings – in pictures

Ever since Romain Thiery stumbled upon an abandoned piano in a castle in 2009, the French photographer – a pianist himself – has travelled all over Europe in search of forgotten pianos, giving them a new lease of life through his images. So far, he has captured 124 pianos in countries including Spain, Germany and Romania, as well as in remoter places such as the Chernobyl exclusion zone in Ukraine, for his ongoing series Requiem Pour Pianos. First he looked for pianos via Google Earth, focusing on castles and cultural buildings; now people contact him directly. The images, which are not staged, show “the power of music and instruments, even in an environment that no longer attracts our attention”, explains Thiery. “This is what I want to do, to remember these forgotten pianos one last time, before time makes them disappear.”