Project History
If the world is an exploration of sensations, our senses are scarcely awake.
What if the sensation was just there, in front of us, inside us ?
What if sight, the dominant sense, suddenly disappeared for a few hours would that awaken an unbelievable world of sense, touch, taste and smells ?
It is these questions (hence the question mark in our logo) that innovators like Andreas Heineke in Germany or Michel Reilhac in France have endeavored to highlight. During the past ten years they have arranged a full range of events and experiences throughout Europe such as dining in the dark, bars, tactile and audio exhibitions, art performances and similar… of course all in complete darkness. These experiences have been developed in France with the involvement in 1999 of the Paul Guinot foundation (the second main blind organization in France) which developed a program of diners in the dark called “Le gout du noir ?”. This program was very successful especially regarding the media attention it draw. It led Michel Reilhac to produce the first ever TV show in complete darkness (shot in infra red), this show was presented by two journalists (one of them being blind).
" Dans le Noir ?" was founded by Edouard de Broglie and Etienne Boisrond in 2004 in Paris with the support of the Paul Guinot Foundation for Blind People. Ethik Investment was among the first private companies to develop this concept in the world. With more than 100 000 visitors since the opening "Dans le Noir ?" Paris became the largest operation creating an awareness about disability in France whilst remaining a private and profitable company since 2005. "Dans le Noir ?" is now also in London with one of the biggest Restaurant in the Dark in the world.
Dans le Noir offers a franchise program and contracts for entrepreneurs
interested in the project. The first franchise has been opened in
Moscow at the end of 2006.
"
Dans le Noir ?" was founded by Edouard de Broglie and Etienne Boisrond
in 2004 in Paris with the support of the Paul Guinot Foundation for Blind
People. Ethik Investment was among the first private companies to develop
this concept in the world. With more than 100 000 visitors since the opening "Dans
le Noir ?" Paris became the largest operation creating awarness of disability
in France whilst remaining a private and profitable company since 2005. "Dans
le Noir ?" is now also in London with one of the biggest Restaurant
in the Dark in the world.
“
Dans le Noir ?” proposes a franchise program and contract for entrepreneurs
interested by the project. The first franchise has been opened in Moscow
at the end of 2006.
"Dans le Noir ?" has also developed an Event Marketing Agency
organizing projects all over Europe since 2004. Last year it helped the Futuroscope
in Poitiers set up an experience in the dark that attracted more than 90
000 visitors. The agency works for prestigious companies such as Moet et
Chandon, l’Occitane, Jean Paul Gaultier or Starbucks.
Other restaurants where you can eat in complete darkness have been opened by foundations or other private operators in Zurich and Bale (Switzerland), Koln, Hamburg, Fankfurt, Berlin, Montreal, Finland …. All these experiences increase public awareness about blindness.