Shownotes Transcript
I met Francis at 'Dialog In The Dark' which is a permanent installation here in Shanghai where people are taken through a designed landscape in the dark by a guide. Francis was our guide and guided us through the experience. The experience takes you through a walk in a park with plants and trees; an urban setting where you can cross a road and feel cars, curbs, ATMs, etc.; a movie theater where we listen to a movie, and finally a bar where we sit, have a drink, and talk about our experience. This is also where we learn that our guide is also blind which was a surprise to me since I didn’t read anything about it. 'Dialog In The Dark' is an installation that is designed to ‘facilitate social inclusion of blind and disabled people on a global basis’ and has installations setup in many cities around the world. Everyone loved the installation especially my kids who were quite uncomfortable at first but calmed down when they understood that they had to use other senses to ‘see’. I thought Francis would give Growing Up With Shanghai a new perspective of the city so I asked Francis if he would be interested to participate in this project. I thought about the similarities of how we experience the Growing Up With Shanghai recordings the same way Francis does everyday- through sound and memories. On a cold and windy winter’s night, Francis takes us around Huadong University where he went to school. He tells me a route that he remembers and I look on a map to plan it out before we start. I don’t give him any cues as to when we have gotten to places he wants to talk about and just let him talk freely about his memories of his surroundings and his time here at Huadong University. It was such an interesting experience and an honor to record such a great document.
For more information about ‘Dialog In The Dark’ please visit: http://www.dialogue-in-the-dark.com/