Garden and Sound Installation for Cafe Ohlone
Hearst Museum of Anthropology Courtyard, UC Berkeley

Hyunch Sung project managed this pro bono design collaboration when she worked at Terremoto SF (SFTM), and completed the sound design/installation as Studio Moonya.  Sarah Samynathan of SFTM was a staunch force that kept the project moving forward who brought her incisive skills of BIPOC community building and listening to every interaction.  Story Wiggins of SFTM made the first wise sketch after a jabberwocky charette conversation amongst the entire SFTM team.  Later, she created a planting design based on our conversations with Cafe Ohlone.  Hannah Pae of SFTM breathed magic into the plan with with her manifestation of a bear, long legged oak tree, nasturtium, acorns, and moon.  She also designed the furniture with Alain Peauroi.  Molly Butcher of SFTM was always down in her brilliant but humble group-mind kind of way to help with sewing construction and building. Deirdre Greene facilitated and kept the faith.  Lauren Kroiz navigated labrynthian bureacracy to actualize. This was a multi-energied & challenging collaboration.  Many were involved and it all began with a friendship that unfolded on pandemic zoom calls with Vincent Medina (East Bay Ohlone) and Louis Trevino (Rumsen Ohlone).  We asked “What is beautiful to Ohlone peoples?”  Inspired by these conversations, we offered a space with crushed oyster shell, abalone, repurposed redwood, ohlone plants, and a lovesong.  The sound expresses how it feels to be with community; a gathering or collection of individuals to create a whole.  Seven speakers in the space, each sing the voice of an Ohlone family member. The youngest singer begins, and gradually the others speakers chime in until we hear a chorus of Chochenyo singing.  The song emanates from plants - beak hazelnut shrub, a valley oak, a carpet of yerba buena.   Vincent and Louis translated the lyrics  ofAngel Baby, by Rosie & The Originals into Chochenyo and it is now a love song to Ohlone language and culture in this space.  “If you ever go, I’m sure you’ll come back home... Because I love you, I love you, I do...”