Do you ever ask yourself what the sound of the Earth is? Do me a favor and take a moment to close your eyes and listen.What do you hear? Is it the hum of electronics, traffic, co-workers or kids? Or do you hear birds or the wind in the trees? Does any sound in particular center you in this time and place? Now consider that the auditory landscape around you, every individual sound is working together in a glorious Cageian symphony.

On March 22^nd and 23^rd SFMOMA and the interdisciplinary artist collective Postcommodity will take these ideas to the next level. They invite you to experience the world of sound as both a cultural and spiritual exploration. Cristóbal Martinez (Genizaro, Manito, Xicano) and Kade L. Twist (Cherokee), two of the collective’s founding members, posed questions like this as part of their latest project, Cosmovisión Torneo de la Bahía. For this project, they brought seven artists and culture makers from around the Bay Area together. JD Beltran, Rob Corder, Derek Gedalecia, Kim Shuck, Jorge Eduardo Sibaja, Rosario Sotelo, and Raquel Vigil, were sent out into the world to collect the auditory experience of places that held meaning for each of them.

These recordings (earcons) were used as tools to improvise and harmonize as a collective group using a unique instrument created by Postcommodity. What they did with these earcons at a recent rehearsal changed the way I hear the sounds around me. 

My feet tapped, echoing in the empty room as I made my way to a rehearsal at SFMOMA with the artists. The murmur of museumgoers ebbed and flowed around me as I made my way up to the Koret Education Center. Once inside the space, an all-encompassing sound greeted me. Voices spoke as if from another room, high heels walking, something that sounded like wood cracking wove around drumbeats. Because speakers were placed all around the room, the sound changed as I moved through the space. Martinez and Twist invited the artists to gather at the front of the room. They placed their hands on separate controllers, each connected to the “earcons” that the artists had collected. 

Line drawings that the seven artists had made previously in collaboration depicting shared stories appeared on a screen above them as they played. There was a catch, though. If any one of the artists tried to wrest too much control from the others and did not work in harmony with them, the drawing would dissipate. A type of auditory alchemy happened as I watched the artists reach harmony and community with one another. Together, the sounds became one piece.

 The “symphony” comprised of sounds that each artist held dear, moved through and around me. Even the floor under me vibrated. I became aware of the space that I took up in the room and how my physicality changed the way the layers in the piece were constructed. I don’t think I’d ever been inside a sound that was so completely immersive. 

“A type of auditory alchemy happened as I watched the artists reach harmony and community with one another. Together, the sounds became one piece.“

 “I don’t think I’d ever been inside a sound that was so completely immersive.” 

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One noise in particular unsettled me. It was at times argumentative, and at other times it hummed and hugged the other sounds. I followed the hum curiously through the room, holding it in my consciousness. I couldn’t quite place what it was. It turned out to be a recording of a hummingbird by the poet Kim Shuck. A self-proclaimed “devotee of San Francisco”, Shuck’s love of place, weaving, and math made her an ideal artist for this particular project. I wondered at the power that the smallest of creatures had within the piece. 

Artist JD Beltran’s contribution to the soundscapes of Cosmovisión brought sounds of San Francisco’s City Hall rotunda. An established artist and long-time commissioner for the San Francisco Arts Commission, Beltran’s contribution to the event drew from her experiences with the city’s cultural and political landscape.

Beltran’s “earcon,” a term used to describe these sonic environments, captured the complex emotions and cultural rituals associated with significant life events. The sound of weddings, quinceañeras, and bureaucratic functions reverberated with both personal and collective meaning. For Beltran, these sounds carried spiritual and cultural weight, offering a window into the lives of the people who pass through the corridors of City Hall. They also called to mind her own journey as an artist committed to fostering a more inclusive arts ecosystem in the Bay Area.

Postcommodity and their collaborators gave me a greater understanding of the Bay Area in a tender and sincere ceremony. Here sound became a tool for reflection, healing, and cultural understanding. Hard to describe but unforgettable to experience, I encourage you to visit if you can from 2-4pm on March 22^nd and 23^rd.

The event will also feature an artist talk with members of Postcommodity on Thursday, March 20, 2025, offering further insight into their creative process and the broader vision of Cosmovisión.

For more information about Cosmovisión Torneo de la Bahía and to attend the artist talk, visit the SF MoMA website.

Postcommodity: Cosmovisión Torneo de la Bahia

Saturday, March 22–Sunday, March 23, 2025
2–4 p.m., both days

Floor 4, Gina and Stuart Peterson White Box

Tickets for Mar 22
Tickets for Mar 23