Etude in C

Neon design 2020 | Competition entry for The Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw | Design for a neon sign commemorating the pandemic-delayed Chopin Piano Competition on the northern bastion wall of the Ostrogski palace on Tamka street in  Warsaw | In a family joint-venture with the amazing Ania Libera | Photographed by Wojciech Grzędziński

The neon was lit up for the first time on October 1st, 2021. Our idea was to use the neon as a dynamic medium. By looping through a sequence of neon tubes we create an illusion of movement, inseparably associated with music. The animated sign shows hands on a piano keyboard, playing passages inspired by Etude in C major from Chopin’s opus 10. Each hand has a different colour. Finally they are all on together, symbolizing the multinational community of the Chopin competition.