Slipping into darkness: Dialog in the Dark puts a new spin on edutainment

(Credit: Ben Rose)

Few exhibits promise a great time while also aiming to make you a better person. But, somehow, Dialog in the Dark makes good on those claims. Taking edutainment to new levels, Atlanta-based Premier Exhibitions, the company also behind the Bodies and Titantic exhibits, has made its mark bringing provocative exhibits to the public and Dialog in the Dark is no exception. In the United States, Dialog in the Dark seems like a new phenomenon but it’s really 20 years old.

Located on the second level at Atlantic Station, Dialog in the Dark is an hour you’re not likely to forget any time soon. You might think you know, but you really have no idea. One thing is certain: exhibits aren’t what they used to be.

History: While working as a journalist for Radio Sudwestfunk in his native Germany, a colleague of Andreas Heinecke, Ph.D. became blind and Heinecke was charged with re-training the journalist. That experience never left Heinecke. Particularly unnerved by the way visually impaired people were generally viewed by those who could see, Heinecke, who went on to work with the Foundation for the Blind, continually teetered with ideas about how to integrate the visually-impaired into the media world and the world in general.

In 1988, that vision found an outlet in Frankfurt, Germany with Dialog Im Dunkeln, also known as Dialogue in the Dark. Since then, it’s been presented in more than 20 countries, clocking five million visitors and counting. Atlanta-based Premier Exhibitions, the company also behind the Bodies and Titantic exhibits, entered into a licensing agreement with Heinecke in February 2008 to bring the experience to a mass American audience. Dialog in the Dark kicked off in Atlanta on August 30, 2008.  

What It Is: Based on German philosopher Martin Buber’s theory that “the only way to learn is through an encounter,” Dialog in the Dark immerses its visitors into total darkness. That means all devices that can generate light are left behind. After a brief orientation in the dark where you learn how to discern things by touch, blind or visually-impaired guides take over. As you navigate through normal activities such as grocery shopping, visiting the park, crossing the street and even hitting the club, your other senses are alerted. When it’s all said and done, you will feel like you’ve never experienced anything truly like it.

Helpful Tips: Do go as a group. Not only is it slightly cheaper (individual tickets are $24) but it’s a lot more fun. If you’re going to bump into people and possibly molest someone, in a good way, we think it’s better to do it with people you know. Don’t get too outrageous though because there are security cameras, even in the dark. Group tickets, which can include as many as 20 on one tour, can be arranged by calling (800) 840-1157. For every 20, one ticket is free.

Keep some cash on you. By tour’s end, there will drinks and light snacks and you may be kept in the dark but the money surely won’t be.

Do arrive 30 minutes before the tour starts.

Would you like to go to this exhibition for free?  Join the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Atlanta’s Club Blue and you and a guest can attend the members only October 29^th Metromixer.