Dialogue in the Dark celebrated its 25th anniversary in Japan on 2nd November 2024. Orna and I were delighted to celebrate this unforgettable day with the founders of Dialogue in Japan, Shinsuke Shimura and Kiyoe Shimura, and a group of illustrious guests.
A brief look back
Strictly speaking, Dialogue in Japan has had a presence for an even longer time.
A small article in the business magazine Nikkei about our exhibition in Vienna aroused the interest of Shinsuke, who travelled to Rome in 1998 to gain a personal impression. The effect was undoubtedly tremendous, as he got lost during the tour and spent hours in the dark until he found the exit. But this borderline experience could not deter his resolve, it led him successfully organize a short first Dialogue presentation in Tokyo, which further encouraged him to firmly establish Dialogue in the Dark in Japan.
2001 was the first major exhibition at the media center in Sendai, which allowed me to travel to Japan for the first time to explore a world that had been completely foreign to me until then. I was overwhelmed by the interpretation of the DiD concept. Shinsuke designed a larger dark room without a partition, allowing one team of visitors to enter at a time to ensure that the intensity of the experience was not diluted. It quickly became clear that with one team per hour, the exhibition was not economically viable, and he gradually adapted the concept by increasing the group size to eight people per team, allowing them to enter every 20 minutes.
I was overwhelmed by the depth and philosophical penetration, and gradually, I understood why DiD is so important in Japan. In contrast to Western understanding, darkness does not have exclusively negative connotations. In his essay “In Praise of Shadow” (1933), the philosopher Tanizaki Jun'ichiro describes the importance of darkness and the exclusion of light on stage or in architecture, making it clear that this supports intimacy and stimulates the imagination. The word “black” also has different meanings, and several words include the context.
During my now almost annual visits to Japan, I found it impressive that Shinsuke and his growing team succeeded in creating completely new references with DID. The later exhibitions at Jingumae in Tokyo, for example, reflected the seasons or served in a hotel as a meditation room and spa.
One particular story stays in my mind: in the heat of the financial crises, I went to Japan again. I was introduced to the new teammates, accompanied by a friend of mine, who was working as an investment banker for Goldman Sachs. We said hello to everybody, and in a moment, we stopped in front of a pretty shy and small young blind lady. Her name was Sakura and after some encouragement she told us her journey to become a guide at Dialogue. She lived in rural Japan, sheltered by her parents and without any working perspectives. She heard about Dialogue, took the train to Tokyo, applied and was hired as a tour guide. What amazing proof of how Dialogue can empower blind people.
My friend, the Goldman Sachs banker, when we left the site, she was deeply moved by Sakura’s story. She was humbled by the courage of her, and asked herself, why she was so anxious and insecure about her future with all her privileges, her professional career and Harvard graduation. I am sure it changed her life fundamentally, and she certainly was empowered by Sakura, the shy, small and young guide from rural Tokyo.
Another touching experience happened, when I recognized two Japanese young women in the Hamburg exhibition. I approached them, because my curiosity about Japan and the Japanese grew. They told me that they have heard about Dialogue in Tokyo but couldn’t make it. Hence, they decided to come over to Germany to gain their own experience.
Beside these firsthand experiences, Dialogue became a source of inspiration for scientific observations, which became particularly clear when a well-known neuroscientist interviewed Dialogue employees about their perception of space to find out how blind people perceive architectural beauty. During the interview, a Yen coin fell to the floor. The guide interviewed at that moment spontaneously said, “100 Yen,” which the neuroscientist could not understand, as he wondered how the value could be recognized from the sound of a falling coin. The experiment was repeated, and the extraordinary hearing ability of blind people was revealed.
In the years that followed, many funds were needed to finance Dialogue in the Dark ventures. Tokyo has the highest real estate prices, and it seemed impossible that a Dialogue installation could be economically viable without public funding or private donations. Dialogue was on the brink of collapse several times, and I remember very serious discussions even before COVID, when it seemed impossible to keep it going. But Shinsuke and Kiyoe did not give up, even going as far as to take out personal loans, and despite Shinsuke suffering a life-threatening heart attack during a lecture on Dialogue in the Dark, which left him with only four hours to live, he did not stop from believing in the importance of Dialogue.
As the life-threatening crisis continued leading up to the surgery, Shinsuke entrusted Kiyoe with three wishes: the salaries for the blind employees would be paid, DiD must continue without him, and if he survived, he would wish to marry Kiyoe. There is no need to mention that this wedding took place in the dark and that Orna and I were delighted to be part of it.
Additionally, there were crises such as the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear disaster, as well as the pandemic. After the Fukushima disaster, Shinsuke and Kiyoe held workshops with traumatized children and organized special training for firefighters in the dark to support them in being able to respond even in situations without light.
During the pandemic, there was no question of operating Dialogue in the Dark. A Dialogue in the Light was devised to continue offering a platform for blind and sighted people to exchange ideas. I don't know where Shinsuke and Kiyoe have found such strength and perseverance to maintain 'Dialogue in the Dark' in Japan for 25 years, but that dedication is not over.
A Dialogue Diversity Museum has been created in Tokyo and shows, besides Dialogue in the Dark, our exhibitions Dialogue in Silence and Dialogue with Time. In 2025, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, a new Dialogue is scheduled to be established in Hiroshima, which experienced the atomic bombing, and I am sure that many more Dialogues will follow.
During the anniversary celebration, in the presence of many supporters, media representatives, it became clear how highly Dialogue is valued in Japan. We are fortunate to have such a loyal, creative, and passionate friend who can be a shining example to us, especially in times of crisis, threat, and uncertainty. We are humbled by such greatness and willpower and can hardly find words to express our gratitude and solidarity. We, the entire global Dialogue family, offer our heartfelt congratulations and look forward to the next 25 years of Dialogue with our Japanese friends.