A unique art piece by Harry Bertoia sits in the main hall way in city hall. Titled “Sonambient Sound Environment,” it is a spindly, fragile-looking sculpture with a “Do Not Touch” sign on it. While the casual viewer of the piece might never recognize it as musical instrument, it is, in fact, designed to be played. The Bethlehem City Council voted Sept. 19 to loan the unusual art work to the Allentown Art Museum for display from Oct. 10 of this year to Nov. 2 to Jan. 7, 2018.

During “Sonambient Sound Environment’s” stay at the museum, it will go down the block and make a guest appearance at Miller Symphony Hall from November 2 through the sixth. It will be featured in the premier performance of “Visible Music for Bertoia Sound Sculptures and Orchestra” by Dr. Douglas Ovens. Ovens is the former chair of the Muhlenberg College Department of Music and currently teaches there as a music professor.

Ovens said the sculpture on loan from Bethlehem is one of 9 pieces he has assembled for the performance. “It is the largest of the pieces in the set,” he said. Ovens described himself as a composer and percussionist who enjoys making music with “non-traditional sound sources.”

According to Allentown Art Museum’s CEO, David Mickenberg, the sculpture is “essential to the ensemble Ovens has selected for his composition.” He said Ovens created this ensemble based on its “particular diversity of form, which yields varying pitches and tone colors.”

After the performance at Miller Symphony Hall, the sound sculpture will return to the museum where it will be featured in a display titled “Reverberations: Sound Sculptures by Harry Bertoia.”

The artist, Harry Bartoia, was born 1915 in Italy, but immigrated to the United States as a young man. He spent the last 30 years of his life working in eastern Pennsylvania. Among his artistic achievements are his creation of sound sculptures-works of art that can also be played like musical instruments.