Dear readers,

In our first design digest we took you to our hometown to experience the dimension of sound. Today, we invite you to touch over another one of our senses, or lack thereof. Today we talk about the juxtaposition of design in blindness and invite you to join our journey and discover our next destination: Paris.

Michel Reilhac, a former film producer and director, made the decision to open a Parisian ‚dining in the dark‘ experience in 2004. He was inspired by the work of Andreas Heinecke, the founder of Dialogue in the Dark, and wanted to create a similar experience that would challenge people’s perceptions of blindness and visual impairment.

Reilhac’s restaurant, called Dans Le Noir?, was located in the heart of Paris and quickly became a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. Guests were led into a completely dark dining room by blind or visually impaired guides and served a surprise menu of gourmet dishes. The experience was designed to heighten guests‘ senses of taste, smell, and touch, while also promoting empathy and understanding for the blind and visually impaired community.

Reilhac’s decision to open Dans Le Noir? was driven by his belief that blindness should not be seen as a disability, but rather as a different way of experiencing the world. He was inspired by Heinecke’s work with Dialogue in the Dark, which had already opened in several countries around the world, and wanted to bring the concept to Paris.

Although Dans Le Noir? closed its doors in 2019 after 15 years of operation, Reilhac’s legacy lives on in the many ‚dining in the dark‘ experiences that have since opened in cities around the world. His decision to create a restaurant that challenged people’s assumptions about blindness and visual impairment helped to raise awareness and promote empathy for those with disabilities, and has inspired many others to do the same.

We hope this quarter’s digest will inspire you too.

All the best,

Metin Mirasyedi
Founder & Managing Director of PAP – THE BRAND