Chapter 14: Instytut B61: Translating the Invisible into Immersive Artsci Theatre

Instytut B61 is an international artsci theatre founded in Toruń, Poland, during the UNESCO International Year of Astronomy 2009, by then astronomy students at the Nicolaus Copernicus University and local artists (performers, musicians, visual artists, actors), as well as culture managers. The group operates as a pop-up theatre collective and gathers only for specific projects. Since 2009, Instytut B61 presented 15 premieres in Poland, Portugal, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and India. All the performances are site-specific and include extensive cooperation with local artists and volunteers. The performances are preceded by a 2–3-week artists-in-residence programme. The starting points for all the Instytut B61 performances are theories and philosophical implications of astrophysics, particle physics and quantum mechanics.