Steinway & Sons - Making of 'The London' with Based Upon

Steinway & Sons UK has collaborated with Based Upon, the London-based creative house of artists, designers, and adventurers, to create ‘The London,’ an artistic adaptation of the Model B SPIRIO|r. With a lightness of touch to preserve the acoustic and revered form of the Steinway & Sons grand piano, ‘The London’ draws inspiration from the city in which it dwells.

Based Upon’s works embark on poetic journeys, evoking emotions and harboring multi-layered narratives that reflect profound connections between their creations and their origins. The studio’s commitment to the highest possible level of craftsmanship ensures these creations stand the test of time; these timeless works tell stories and reflect personal values. Each piece becomes an heirloom, carrying the essence of family history and cultural heritage.

For ‘The London,’ 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 Regent's 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 top stick 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.

At the heart of ‘The London’ is Steinway & Sons’ Model B, handcrafted in the company’s Hamburg factory and often referred to by pianists as “the perfect piano.” At 6’11” long, it is a wonderfully balanced and versatile instrument featuring Steinway’s latest technology, SPIRIO|r - the world’s finest high-resolution player piano capable of live performance capture and playback. SPIRIO|r offers new experiences of playing music in the home, enabling recording, editing of performances, connectivity for sharing music, and playback quality that is precise and nuanced.