The Dome Sessions

Documentary Music Film, 61', 2026

Directed by: Firas el Hallak

Produced by: Anthony Tawil & Firas el Hallak

The Dome Sessions is an exploration of sound and space, emerging from the distinct architectural and acoustic features of the unfinished Dome of the Rachid Karami International Fair in Tripoli, Lebanon. Designed by renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer in 1962, the space never fulfilled its intended purpose as part of a decentralized economic plan for the city and instead remains a relic of unrealized potential in decay.

When the Lebanese Civil War began, construction on the Dome ceased, leaving it acoustically untreated. This created a haunting and rare reverb within the space. Since 2010, audiovisual artist and curator Firas El Hallak has used the Dome as a landmark to reflect the told and untold stories of the city through sonic experiments that intertwine sound, space, and memory.

What began as an individual curiosity evolved into a collaborative experiment, with each artist adapting their approach to the Dome's distinctive sound and layered history. Every recorded session reverberates within its concrete walls. By reclaiming this forgotten structure and reinventing its possibilities, the work dissolves the boundaries between past and present, personal and communal.