Silent Room, urban intervention
NATHALIE HARB WITH KHALED YASSINE, 21DB & BÜF

We live in an environment where we find ourselves bombarded by a constant flux of information and distraction, both visual and sonic. The overflow of advertisement and spectacle manipulates our desires and contributes to the build-up of a hyper-consumerist society. Governments and political parties propagate fear and dreadful promises through the images and sounds. Urban segregation can be mapped through noise variations across the city - underprivileged communities are the most affected by higher noise pollution. We need more silence. The Silent Room by Nathalie Harb is a hand-made timber tower with a brightly painted exterior, making it stand out within the urban landscape. Visitors are invited into its cocoon-like interior which has been upholstered for comfort and suffused by indirect light, offering a retreat from one of Beirut’s busiest thoroughfares.