NASILU

NASILU, meaning “exile” in Akkadian, was created during a two week residency at MONOM Studio in Funkhaus Berlin, where it was composed, arranged, recorded and spatialised using the 4DSOUND system.

Invited as the first vocalist to undertake a residency at MONOM, Ilhem chose to explore the possibilities of the human voice through a vocal only composition. Drawing from polyphony, orchestral composition, repetitive music, lullabies, breath and whispers, she developed a 35 minute spatial narrative built entirely from the voice.

The piece traces the journey of the wanderer and the silenced ones, echoing movements of exile and quest across histories and continents.

Through movements of sound in space, the voice shifts between intimacy and expansion, following a passage through displacement, loss and the search for belonging. At its core, NASILU reflects on the enduring connection to home, memory and ancestral roots.

Presented for the first time during Spatial Festival, September 2025, at Funkhaus Berlin.