The World According to Sound

March 30, 2026 (Monday) / 5:30 pm7:30 pm

The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street

The World According to Sound

Presented by Penn's Department of Cinema & Media Studies


An immersive sonic experience about the spirit of academic inquiry

Surrounded by an octophonic ring of powerful loudspeakers, you are going to sit in the dark for 70 minutes, wear an eye mask, and be taken on a sonic trip with fellow members of your academic community.

You’ll hear the vibrations of the Golden Gate Bridge, footsteps of ants, recordings made a century ago, and silence turned into music. You’ll be transported to 1930s Berlin, up to the ionosphere, under a sand dune, and into the middle of a choir singing in a church built in the 6th century.

You’ll hear ideas, essays, books, theories, and contemporary research all translated into soundscapes that challenge you to rethink the world through your ears instead of your eyes...and ultimately to reconnect with what makes academic inquiry so meaningful.

The performance will be followed by a Q&A with co-producers Chris Hoff and Sam Harnett.


Cosponsored by the Wolf Humanities Center