Dialogue in the Dark: New Perceptions in the Dark
Exploring R&D material from the field of art/design (No.6)

Dialogue in the Dark

Have you ever experienced darkness where you can see nothing at all? I was in Takeshiba, Tokyo, the other day.Dialogue Diversity Museum "Forest of DialogueI have experienced it at the This museum has a "Dialogue in the DarkThe program, called "100% Darkness", is an adventure in "100% pure darkness" with the assistance of a visually impaired person. Since its conception in 1988 by Dr. Andreas Heinecke, a German doctor of philosophy, this program has been experienced by more than 9 million people in more than 47 countries around the world, including more than 240,000 people in Japan.

I participated in Dialogue in the Dark's fall-only program, "Autumn Pitching Sports Day". In Japan, they change the program according to the four seasons, and this fall the theme was "Sports Day.
Before heading to the venue, participants are required to leave cell phones, watches and jewelry that may glow in the dark in a coin locker and wear comfortable clothing. The program has a maximum of eight people per team. This time there were seven team members: myself, my accompanying photographer, and five other members of the general public. At the entrance of the venue, we were given a lecture by Naoki-san (nickname), a visually impaired attendant, on how to use a white cane, and then the program began.

Awareness of "100% pure darkness".

At first, I had the naive idea that "even though it is dark, once my eyes get used to it, I might be able to see something vaguely. But that was not the case at all. It is not a metaphor, but true darkness where you really don't know whether your eyes are closed or open. You confront the darkness by mobilizing all of your senses other than sight. Under such circumstances, this program will challenge a variety of "field day" events.
When the unfamiliar darkness makes you feel uneasy, the first thing you can rely on is the voices of your team members. It is difficult to clear the event without communicating the situation in detail aloud, so even if we have never met each other before, we do not feel shy (and that is not the point), but communicate closely. And above all, the absolute security of Naoki-san, our attendant. You could hear in his voice how he was smiling and watching over us while we were dawdling in the dark (of course, we couldn't see him, so I am imagining this on my own). After the program, we were welcomed by the manager of the Dialogue Diversity Museum, "Dialogue Forest.Dialogue Japan Society, Inc. Ms. Kumiko Sagawa, Senior Manager of the General Operation Office, told us, "The attendants can tell when participants are a little lost by the sound of their footsteps and the use of white canes. Visually impaired people are professionals in the dark.

As I was clearing the events while using my four senses, including hearing and touch, which were gradually becoming brighter and brighter in place of sight, which was absent, I realized that 90 minutes had passed before I realized it and the program was over. The physical sensation was about 30 minutes. Was my concentration enhanced by the darkness, or had my sense of time changed? It was with a sense of wonder that I emerged from the darkness into the light for the first time in 90 minutes.

Know the senses that were usually dulled.

After the Dialogue in the Dark, I had a short chat with Naoki and his team members. Naoki told us the secret of how he was able to guide us in the dark on time without audio notifications and how he was able to identify major convenience stores by smell, making us keenly aware of how we spend our days with only visual senses. I am supposed to receive all kinds of information emanating from my surroundings with all five senses, but I perceive only what my visual sensor responds to. I was touched and impressed by the keen senses of the visually impaired.

On the way home, I stopped at a certain convenience store, sniffing the smell, and said to myself, "So this is what Naoki was talking about! What Mr. Naoki was talking about," and I learned a new way of perceiving the world.

Dialogue in the Dark in Business

Dialogue in the Dark, which I experienced, is open to anyone who is in first grade or older and can walk for 90 minutes, and has been experienced by a variety of people, including parents and children, friends, lovers, and of course, one person.
Other,Workshop-style programs for corporate trainingis also available. These programs are completely different from those available to the general public and are customized according to the issues faced by the company, leading to behavioral changes in the participants. For example, the program is used for training for new employees, job offers, and promotions, and many companies are repeat customers, using the program every year for new employee training.
According to Mr. Sagawa, "The darkness is a space where cooperation is forced, so even if a team does not communicate much on a day-to-day basis, there is always transmission and reception. He adds, "Leaders have commented that they thought they were communicating the team's goals and giving instructions perfectly, but in the dark they realized that maybe they were receiving them differently, or maybe they were not communicating their intentions. "That's what I thought," he said.

If you are an engineer/researcher, it is fine to meet with other members of your department with whom you have regular contact, but you may get more out of it if you meet with people with whom you have not had much contact, such as new project members. I believe that not knowing the other party will make you more aware of what is going on in the dark, and will also be useful for team building.

Besides "invisible experiences," "inaudible experiences," and "aging experiences."

In addition to Dialogue in the Dark, the Dialogue Diversity Museum "Forest of Dialogue" will also feature a "Dialogue in the Dark" session attended by a hearing-impaired person.Dialogue in Silenceand by attending to the elderly.Dialogue with TimeWe also offer a program called The program may be offered for a limited time only, so be sure toOfficial Sitefor more information.

I dare not include pictures in this article. I feel that even explaining the world in words is a bit too much. Please come to Dialogue in the Dark and feel the world using something other than your eyes.

Dialogue Diversity Museum "Forest of Dialogue

address (e.g. of house)

Atre Takeshiba Theater Building 1F, 1-10-45 Kaigan, Minato-ku, Tokyo

For more information.Official Sitefor more information.