An exhibit on blindness that has just finished touring Europe comes to Atlanta in August.
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution July 6:
If you were blind, could you navigate your way around a busy city street or distinguish between a $1 bill and a $50 bill if you were trying to buy a beer at a bar?
These are some of the challenges visitors will face at a 20,000-square-foot interactive exhibition coming to Atlantic Station this summer.
Premier Exhibitions, the Atlanta-based company that brought the "Bodies" and "Titanic" shows to the city, is opening "Dialog in the Dark" in late August to give visitors a sense of what it's like to be blind.
For one hour, you'll go through a market, take a boat ride, visit a park and get caught in the middle of a busy street scene with nothing more than a guide and a cane.
To make the exhibit authentic, there won't be a sliver of light on the tour. Cellphones, glow-in-the-dark watches and even kids shoes with soles that light up will be prohibited.
The railing that visitors hold onto when they first enter will disappear shortly after they begin walking. The only direction available will come from trained guides.
"What I like about this exhibition is you get in touch with senses and your body and it helps you understand others," said Tom Zaller, executive vice president of Premier.
The exhibit, which runs Aug. 30 through March 1, is making its U.S. debut in Atlanta after a long European run, Zaller said.
Officials expect to attract about 200,000 visitors.
"Dialog" has been around since 1988, Zaller said, with more than 5 million visitors from 20 countries. It has employed 5,000 blind workers as tour guides.
While its main goal is to demonstrate the challenges of the visually impaired, the exhibit organizers also hope visitors will walk away with the understanding that in the dark everyone is the same, Zaller said.
