Entry No. 40 — the Minneapolis file — filed under: interactive art
Sidewalk Harp
A 40-foot-long interactive stainless steel sculpture that functions as a giant musical instrument, triggered by passing your body through 36 LED-capped motion sensors.
The story
If you walk past 500 North 5th Street in the North Loop without looking up, you might mistake the 40-foot stainless steel frame overhead for standard-issue corporate courtyard decoration. It frames the pavement outside the headquarters of the Be The Match Registry. Step beneath it and break the line of sight, however, and the quiet concrete corridor breaks into customized light and synthesized tone.
Designed by artist Jen Lewin, the permanent installation operates as a giant outdoor sensor instrument. Instead of physical strings, 36 overhead nodes house LEDs and motion sensors beamed directly at the sidewalk. Walk past, run a hand overhead, or dance through the footprint, and each broken beam triggers a corresponding electronic pitch and a burst of light.
There is a trick most commuters miss on their morning walk: if you hold your hand steady beneath the sensor node on the far right end for a few seconds, it overrides the simple single-note triggers and kicks off ambient sound loops and light sequences. You didn't hear it from us, but that is how you turn a simple stroll into a full sidewalk performance.
What it's like
This is a completely open-air, zero-friction encounter right on the sidewalk. You can visit 24 hours a day for free, though it hits its stride after sunset when the 36 LED-capped sensors cut bright beam patterns into the darkness. Broad daylight visits are quiet and fun, but darting back and forth solo on a busy afternoon will earn you odd looks from pedestrians heading to Target Field. Plan on spending five to ten minutes experimenting with sensor combinations before moving on.
The move: Team up to wave your hands and dance through the sensors to co-create a custom symphony of light and electronic notes right on the sidewalk.
- 📍 North Loop
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 500 N 5th St, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Salon Rouge (Maison Margaux) — After triggering street-level electronic sound loops, walk half a mile down the North Loop to descend into this underground, catacomb-style French speakeasy.
- Gori Gori Peku — Balance your high-visibility sidewalk music-making with a quiet, low-lit Japanese whisky on the second floor of Kado no Mise.
- Sculpture Clock — Trade optical sensor beams for mechanical gears by heading less than a mile downtown to Jack Nelson's 600-part kinetic mobile.
- Rockman Sculptures at Federal Courthouse Plaza — Keep your outdoor art stroll going downtown by hunting for Tom Otterness's bronze figures scattered across grassy plaza mounds.
Good to know
Do I need tickets or reservations to play the harp?
No. It is a permanent public art installation mounted directly over the public sidewalk, free and accessible 24/7.
How does the Sidewalk Harp make sound without strings?
It uses 36 stainless steel overhead nodes fitted with LEDs and optical motion sensors. Passing under a sensor breaks its light beam and triggers an electronic note and color flash.
Where exactly is it located?
In the North Loop at 500 N 5th St, Minneapolis, mounted along the sidewalk in front of the Be The Match Registry building.
Is there a secret setting or hidden trick?
Yes. Standing still under the sensor node on the far right end for several seconds triggers sustained background notes and automated lighting patterns.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: jenlewinstudio.com · Atlas Obscura · Facebook
last checked: 2026-07-21