Elephant in the Dark

Blindfold walk performance·2019–2020

Tactile Performances

Elephant in the Dark is a series of blindfolded walking performances exploring what darkness reveals about space, certainty and perception. Inspired by Rumi’s parable of the elephant in the dark, the project unfolded at the Modern and Contemporary Art Museum (MACAM) and the National Museum of Beirut.

Credits

Supported by the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC)

In collaboration with Red Oak

National Museum of Beirut edition developed with the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA)

MACAM, Alita-Byblos — 2019

At MACAM, the project first reversed familiar roles of seeing and being guided: blindfolded sighted participants moved through the museum with a blind guide. A second nocturnal performance extended the experiment outdoors, where sighted performers/dancers interacted with blindfolded participants, who in turn became performers.

Elephant in the Dark — MACAM, Alita-Byblos — 2019 — 2

Elephant in the Dark — MACAM, Alita-Byblos — 2019 — 3

Elephant in the Dark — MACAM, Alita-Byblos — 2019 — 4

Elephant in the Dark — MACAM, Alita-Byblos — 2019 — 5

Performance video — MACAM

National Museum of Beirut — 2020

At the National Museum of Beirut, in collaboration with the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA), visual-arts students were introduced to haptic aesthetics and took part in a blindfolded tactile visit of archaeological objects.

Elephant in the Dark — National Museum of Beirut — 2020 — 2

Elephant in the Dark — National Museum of Beirut — 2020 — 3

Elephant in the Dark — National Museum of Beirut — 2020 — 4

Elephant in the Dark — National Museum of Beirut — 2020 — 5

Elephant in the Dark — National Museum of Beirut — 2020 — 6