Roland DG & Roland Corporation collaborate on Paralym Art wrapped piano

Images courtesy of Roland DG

Roland DG Corporation, a manufacturer of wide-format inkjet printers and printer/cutters, announced its collaboration with Roland Corporation, a manufacturer and distributor of electronic musical instruments, in the production of a one-of-a-kind digital grand piano wrapped in artwork by Paralym Art artist Michiru Kanki. The art-wrapped piano, along with other specially created items, was unveiled at a special showcase event at NEOPASA Hamamatsu in Japan.

Since 2021, Roland Corporation has sponsored the Paralym Art initiative, operated by the Japan Organization for the Promotion of Independence of Persons with Disabilities, to contribute to the economic independence and social participation of artists with disabilities. For this project, the company commissioned Kanki, who, in addition to being a Paralym Art artist, is active in fields ranging from music to graphics production. Her piece, “Ad-lib,” created under the theme “The Future Brought by Music and Instruments,” was reproduced using Roland DG’s TrueVIS XG-640 wide-format inkjet printer to wrap the Roland digital grand piano.

At the event, visitors can enjoy a hands-on experience with the art-wrapped piano and other Roland products. The event will also feature a tactile art canvas that reproduces Kanki’s work with Roland DG’s DIMENSE dimensional printing technology, allowing it to be enjoyed both visually and by touch. Limited-edition stickers will also be produced and distributed.

“To bring out the full appeal of Ms. Kanki’s artwork, which combines powerful, vivid colors with an enveloping gentleness, we used our flagship printer/cutter, the XG-640,” said Kohei Tanabe, CEO, president and representative director of Roland DG. “We aimed to express not only the brilliant colors of the artwork, but also the passion and story embedded within it. Through this collaboration, we hope to convey to people the wonder of transforming imagination into reality.”

Kanki noted, “The value that music and instruments bring has always been, and will always be, about brightening the connections between people. For this piece, ‘Ad-lib,’ I used orange as a base to evoke ‘infinite joy and fun,’ balancing it with emerald, blue, and other colors to capture the freedom, hope, style, and gentleness of music. I am thrilled that my artwork, as a one-of-a-kind piano, will be played by so many people.”