Title: Sound Harp
Artist: Joshua Pass
Type: Sculpture
Material: Stainless-steel
Location: East of the Boulder Library
Year: 2021
At the front of the Boulder Public Library is the interactive public memorial sculpture, Sound Harp, created by Joshua Pass. The sculpture consists of a slightly curved, circular, stainless-steel body with stainless-steel strings. The musical instrument design was conceptualized in memory of Tim Eggert, a Boulder resident, who was known among his friends and the community as a passionate guitarist. Pass describes the nature of the sculpture as “interactive and celebrates the fun loving and giving spirit of Tim Eggert.” At the dedication ceremony in 2023, Shelby Elaine Roberts, a University of Colorado Boulder harpist, played the unique instrument alongside a group of musicians. Community members were then invited to play Sound Harp as a part of the festivities.
For Joshua Pass, the goal in designing Sound Harp was to create a sculpture that incorporated the elements of beauty, functionality, and safety for the public. Pass’ art represents the relationships between people, the environment, and objects that then shape further interaction with the world. On his personal artist website, Pass states that “Indigenous art, vast open spaces and dramatic plain changes of the American southwest shape my expression of line, form and space.”