un futuro (2025)
un futuro (a future) is a sonic act of remembrance.
In many parts of the world, March 8th—International Women’s Day—is a day of celebration. But in México, it is not a celebration. It is a day of mourning. A day of protest. As Valentina Palma said: “Today is Women’s Day, but in Mexico we don’t celebrate—we commemorate it. Between 10 to 11 women are murdered in Mexico every day.” In 2025, I attended the Women’s March in Mexico City for the first time. I had lived abroad for years, and this was my first time experiencing the march as an adult, fully aware of its weight. I went with my best friend. Over 200,000 women gathered—most wearing purple and green, many holding handmade posters that pierced through the crowd. The march moved from El Ángel de la Independencia to the Zócalo, the symbolic center of governmental power. What struck me most was the sound. A massive, unrelenting cacophony of female voices. Chanting phrases that some might consider harsh or violent—but for us, it was a form of resistance. Voices layered with urgency, grief, and defiance. I brought a field recorder and captured what I could of that sonic landscape. This piece is built from those recordings. After editing and layering them, I cut them into fragments that could be repeated and reshaped into musical phrases. I added analog synthesizers to trace and support the emotional arc. I also included live performance: the piece begins with an a cappella interpretation of Aire, a song by the Argentinian group Churupaca, followed by live saxophone and accordion, both processed and spatialized in real time. The piece ends with a recording of a participant reading the names of women who have been murdered. After each name, the crowd responds: ¡Presente!Present.Still here.Never forgotten.Through this piece, I aim to honor their memory and affirm their presence.