Dark Dining Projects
Sensory Feasts Served to Blindfolded Guests
Dark Dining Projects, here at Camaje Bistro, featured in Brutus, a glossy Japanese lifestyle magazine.
About Dark Dining
Let us lead you into an environment created by an innovative artist in collaboration with some of the finest chefs of our day.
What to Expect
Arriving to a warm welcome and a few words of orientation, you don a featherweight blindfold and are immersed in velvety darkness. Then, gently guided to your table, you are served an extraordinary four-course meal paired with fine wines.
Other senses take over; you discover in yourself an expanded awareness and surprising competence. Savor the sensuous flavors, smells and textures. Playfully challenge your palate to tease out the mysteries of the menu.
Pausing between courses, you are swept up in unexpectedly vivid performances. An evening might include a tap dancer, a virtuosic vocalist, a jazz saxophonist, or a clavichord player. You might hear a baroque violin, South Indian percussion, Japanese flute, trombone . . .
At the evening’s close, the menu is revealed. In the words of a diner, "When we emerge, the dim hallway seems glaringly bright, but everyone is grinning, seemingly relaxed, relieved, and totally elated. "
Why in the Dark?
Because it awakens the senses and presents new pleasures.
In the words of Artistic Director Dana Salisbury,
“I was choreographing a dance based on non-visual perception. One morning in the studio, I peeled an orange with my eyes closed. Pulling back the skin, I was dusted with hundreds of droplets of pungent oil; never had an orange had such an intoxicating aroma. I brought it to my lips; the structure of the orange slice became clear and the cells burst open and sweet juice exploded in my mouth.
I was swept with pleasure. The world seemed more open and more intimate at the same time. I wanted to share this intensely pleasurable expanded ‘vision’ with others and decided to create Dark Dining. The art would be the experience itself.
The art would start with gourmet food and drink. Performances by extraordinary artists would be woven throughout the evening. The environment would be safe and playful, one in which diners could relax, expand into their senses and drink it all in. It would be a true celebration of the senses.
I knew we could have a lot of fun. We all love to eat; it is our first conscious sensory delight. People worry they will not know how to eat without seeing, but they shouldn't; we all know where our mouths are and have held utensils in our hands without thinking for years.”
What makes Dark Dining Projects different?
Is it “Blind Dining”?
Unlike "blind dining" restaurants that offer meals served in a darkened room, Dark Dining Projects guests are nvited to come together on specific dates, at specific places and times. Blindfolded, the diners are immersed in an environment that is comfortable and welcoming. Using space, sound, motion and emotion, DDP's artist-conceived parties heighten the non-visual senses and the imagination.
DDP's Director and her assistants, called "dancer/embodiers," are dancers well-versed in the language of the whole body. The musicians are concert quality. We work only with fine chefs. Each feast unfolds in its own way in response to the diners as a group and individually. No two DDP experiences are alike. Dana Salisbury’s Dark Dining Projects events take place in restaurants, cultural settings and private homes around the country and abroad.
A Few Specifics
Reservations -
Reservations are made by phoning the host restaurant or venue.
Vegetarians -
When you make your reservations, please let us know if you prefer a vegetarian menu.
Special Dietary Needs -
When you make your reservations, please let us know if you have any allergies or dietary restrictions.
Blindfolds -
As you enter, you are handed a blindfold to wear throughout the event. No peeking. If you need any assistance, simply ask or raise a hand; there are always several people ready to help to you. Our blindfolds are extremely comfortable with adjustable velcro closures and foam pads which permit wearers to open their eyes. Designed as meditation masks, they provide absolute blackout. Afterward, diners have the option to buy the blindfolds they have worn at a fraction of their usual price.
Restroom Trips -
If you need to use the bathroom, simply ask or raise your hand. You will be escorted there. Once inside, you may remove the mask. The room will be lit. When you are ready to come out, put your blindfold back on and tap on the door. Your escort will lead you back to your table.
Are these art performance or dining experiences? -
Both; they are participatory art events revolving around sensory awareness, fine performances, food and eating. In art-world terms, they are site-specific, audience-specific performance installations.
Where have Dark Dining Projects events taken place? -
Based in New York City, our first event was held at Camaje Bistro in Greenwich Village in 2005. Since then numerous Dark Dining Projects collaborations have taken place there.
Among the other restaurants and conference centers are Abigail Cafe in Brooklyn, NY; Rover's, Nell's, and Dinette in Seattle, WA; Green Street Cafe in Northampton, MA; Pond House Café in Hartford, CT; Mansion Restaurant, and the De Seversky Center on Long Island; Fisher Island Club, on Fisher Island, Miami FL; Graylyn International Conference Center in Winston-Salem, NC.
Art venues include Galapagos Art Space and Chez Bushwick in Brooklyn, NY, and the KO Festival of Performance at Amherst College, Amherst, MA. Numerous private parties, corporate events and workshops have taken place including those for the Art Beyond Sight Conference held at Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Science Gallery of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and Light in Winter, a Festival of Science and the Arts.