Nadia Daou is NÂR, a Lebanese multi-instrumentalist, singer and composer based in Beirut, who will be coming to Casa Árabe with a deeply immersive, experimental musical performance. Her music, described as a repetition of sound mantras, reflects chaos and beauty of Beirut, where industrial noise mixes with moments of almost spiritual peace. Under constant metamorphosis, she works with her voice, various instruments and different objects which she comes across. Abrasive and hypnotic, NÂR’s performances are sonic experiments and live improvisations built from beginning to end in a manner often guided by short phrases repeated like mantras. Her music is rooted in a very broad spectrum of sounds, inspirations and genres, including Middle Eastern music, North African trance, industrial music and electronic music.

In 2021, NÂR’s journey took a radical turn, when she began working with a unique instrument essentially made up of old clocks and bells. This gave rise to a new dimension in her practice and allowed for a greater rawness in her sounds. NÂR considers her performances “a succession of sacred mistakes and a cult of the unknown.”

Since October 7, the artist has been devoting great effort to making her audiences face what is happening in the Middle East, raising numerous questions about the importance and true meaning of solidarity and resistance. When the performance is over, we will be holding a discussion with the public in English, with consecutive translation, moderated by Karim Hauser, coordinator of Casa Árabe’s Cultural Programs.