Noise pollution is such an ingrained part of living in a big city that no one ever takes time to notice. The faint sound of birds chirping in the morning is normally overpowered by the sound of traffic and different activities like contruction or even music.
The Silent Room by Nathalie Harb and Khaled Yassine is an effort to try and distract people, in a good way, from the noise.
Built as part of the Beirut Design Week, the pink handmade wooden tower took shape next to a busy road in the city. Inside, it provided a quiet space, with ambient music, where people could find a moment of silence. The space invited people to come in, for up to 30 minutes and “not perform or achieve anything, but just to be”.
The inside of the space was also stripped bare of all unnecessary distractions. On the Beirut Design Week website they explained: “The overflow of advertisement and spectacle manipulates our desires and contributes to the build-up of a hyper-consumerist society.”
They continued: “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 artists hope to take the Silent Room to other parts of the world.
To see more pictures, check out Design Milk.
