SILENT ROOM V.03 — Nathalie Harb

NATHALIE HARB

SILENT ROOM V.03

Year 2019
Beirut - Unesco Week of Sound

The Silent Room is conceived as an active, functional part of the urban landscape, existing in direct dialogue with the everyday elements of the city—shops, marketplaces, office buildings, construction sites, and the relentless flow of traffic. It offers an experience that sharply contrasts with its surroundings, responding to the emotional and psychological conditions shaped by the urban environment. By stripping away sensory overload, it creates a temporary sanctuary where stillness, quiet, and reflection become possible within the city's constant motion.

This iteration of The Silent Room was commissioned as part of the UNESCO Week of Sound 2019, an international initiative that highlights the impact of sound on human health, culture, and the environment. The installation was placed at the historic Al Afran Al Watania (National Bakeries) on Bliss Street in Beirut—a site deeply embedded in the city’s collective memory. The choice of location was intentional, engaging with an active urban artery that connects commercial, educational, and residential districts. By integrating the project within an existing, bustling city fabric, this version of The Silent Room further explored how moments of silence can exist within, rather than apart from, the city’s dynamic rhythms.

Bliss Street, home to the American University of Beirut and a major hub of student life, commerce, and transit, provided an ideal testing ground for the project’s core questions: Can silence be an accessible public resource? How does a space of quietude function amid a dense, high-energy environment? Positioned within this layered urban setting, The Silent Room stood as both an intervention and an invitation—offering passersby a rare opportunity to momentarily step out of the city’s sonic and visual intensity and into a space of sensory recalibration.

Urban Hives V0.1

Silent Room V.02

Design: Nathalie Harb and Gabriele Pascolini

Sound Conception and Composition: Khaled Yassine

Commissioned by: AUBNI (American University of Beirut Neighborhood Initiative) and Unesco Week of Sound

Supported by: Municipality of Beirut, Skaff Group and Saint Mary’s Orthodox Church

Construction: Hassan Dia and team

Visual identity: Joseph Kai

Photography: Marco Pinarelli

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