Institut

Thank you to everyone who joined us in our little dream world this week.

As part of Ukrainian Heritage Month, INSTITUT’s own nón omnís moriár and Mark Marczyk invited us around the table for an immersive dinner rooted in Ukrainian food, storytelling, music, and a little nostalgia.

The evening took us back to the homes of our grandparents, through the lace curtains of their kitchen window, where soup was waiting, stories were being told, and there was always a place at the table.

We’re so grateful to everyone who sat down with us to break bread, have a drink, draw, and share a story. And a big thanks to Johnny 🇺🇦 for spinning Ukrainian classics on vinyl all night.

We hope you’ll come back and sit with us again soon.

In the meantime, Ukrainian Heritage Month isn’t quite over yet. Join us October 2 for one more dance workshop with Kryva Kosa Band followed by a candlelight poetry night with Serhii Titov © and Kirill Savransky 🕯️🎹

See you underground.

620 Spadina Ave — around the back, through the lot, past the steel doors, down the stairs, through the wood laminate door.

📸 Cassandra Popescu Photography lookupstandout

‼️ EXTRA TICKETS JUST RELEASED ‼️

Looks like we made too much soup, and you all sold out the first 3 seatings so we’ve added an extra dinner time slot at 9 PM!

Step into a world of food, music, memory, drawing, film and storytelling.

nón omnís moriár and her team are cooking Ukrainian cuisine with a dreamy twist, while Mark Marczyk builds ambient folk symphonies around the room.

We’ll start with a drink and music by Johnny 🇺🇦. Then follow us through lace curtains, projected film, shadow, and music to an immersive dinner.

Sit with strangers and friends over soup, bread, music, drawing, and stories.

September 24
Extra tickets just released 🎟️

620 Spadina Ave – around the back, through the lot, past the steel doors, down the stairs, through the wood laminate door.

Dress code: white attire

Vegetarian? Email [email protected] after purchasing your ticket and we’ll make sure there’s a bowl waiting for you. Unfortunately, we’re unable to accommodate other dietary restrictions.

Earlier this month, we kicked off Ukrainian Heritage Month with books, archives, theatre, and a few very big questions.

Ukrainian literary experts gathered underground to talk about the librarians, archivists, and curators doing the work of keeping Ukraine’s cultural heritage alive.

Then Vita Art brought us select scenes from Volodymyr Vynnychenko’s “Black Panther & Polar Bear,” a psychological drama where a disagreement about art gets increasingly tangled up in love, family, and responsibility.

If you missed it, or simply want more, VITA ART premieres the full production of “Black Panther & Polar Bear” this Saturday, September 26 at Zahrava Ukrainian Drama Theater.

And we’re keeping Ukrainian Heritage Month going, too: an immersive Ukrainian dinner this Thursday Sept. 24, followed by candlelit poetry on October 2. Because we like to give you a range of experiences.

See you downstairs soon.

620 Spadina Ave – around the back, through the lot, past the steel doors, down the stairs, through the wood laminate door.

📸 Taija Grey

We’ve been cooking up a dreamy little world for you. 💭🪟

Here’s a behind-the-scenes sneak peek of КОЛО ВІКОН / BY THE WINDOW, an immersive Ukrainian dinner.

Step into a world of food, music, memory, drawing, film and storytelling.

nón omnís moriár and her team are cooking Ukrainian cuisine with a dreamy twist, while Mark Marczyk builds ambient folk symphonies around the room.

We’ll start with a drink and music by Johnny 🇺🇦. Then follow us through lace curtains, projected film, shadow, and music to a long table set for 20.

Sit with strangers and friends over soup, bread, music, drawing, and stories.

September 24
Seatings at 6 PM, 7 PM & 8 PM
Tickets 🔗 you know where

620 Spadina Ave – around the back, through the lot, past the steel doors, down the stairs, through the wood laminate door.

Dress code: white attire

Vegetarian? Email [email protected] after purchasing your ticket and we’ll make sure there’s a bowl waiting for you. Unfortunately, we’re unable to accommodate other dietary restrictions.

‼️A limited number of extended tickets have been released for tonight’s SOLD OUT show. ‼️ We want as many of you to come party with us as possible.

Extended tickets for tonight’s show with Гордій Старух and Kryva Kosa Band are going fast, so get ‘em while you can.

Kryva Kosa Band at 6 PM
Гордій Старух at 7 PM
Tickets 🔗 you know where

See you tonight!

620 Spadina — around the back, through the lot, past the steel doors, down the stairs, through the wood laminate door.

TOMORROW NIGHT Ukrainian lirnyk, luthier and one-man band Гордій Старух hits the stage at INSTITUT for one night in Toronto. Witness Ukrainian lirnyk tradition, hurdy-gurdy, hypnotizing voice and electronics.

PLUS everyone’s favourite folk dance crew Kryva Kosa Band will open the night to get you moving with village song and dance.

It also happens to be the last night of the Toronto Ukrainian Festival. So consider this the unofficial afterparty. 😉

Get your tickets before they’re gone 🎟️
September 20 @ 6 PM
Tickets 🔗 you know where

620 Spadina — around the back, through the lot, past the steel doors, down the stairs, through the wood laminate door.

ICYMI Ukrainian lirnyk, luthier and one-man band Гордій Старух is in Toronto for one night only. Expect ancient Ukrainian lirnyk tradition, hurdy-gurdy, voice and electronics. Old sounds with a modern pulse.

AND did we mention Kryva Kosa Band ARE BACK to open the night with village songs, crooked rhythms and enough folk to get us properly warmed up.

It also happens to be the last night of the Toronto Ukrainian Festival. So yes, this is the unofficial afterparty 😉

This is a special one for us, so we hope you’ll join us with this special guest, and all our friends, one night underground.

September 20 @ 6 PM
Tickets 🔗 you know where

620 Spadina — around the back, through the lot, past the steel doors, down the stairs, through the wood laminate door.

In the lace curtains by the window of your grandmother’s house, there is another world.

It’s the world of the old Ukrainian lullaby Ой ходить сон коло вікон: “Dream wanders by the window, while Sleep lingers by the gate…”

КОЛО ВІКОН / BY THE WINDOW is a 30-minute passage through that window. nón omnís moriár and her team cook the food of home with a dreamy twist, while Mark Marczyk builds ambient folk symphonies around the room.

We begin with a drink at INSTITUT and music by Johnny 🇺🇦. Then we lead you somewhere else—through lace, projected film, shadow and sound—to a long table set for 20.

The food will already be waiting. Sit with friends and strangers over soup, bread, music, drawing, and story.

Give us 30 minutes. We’ll feed you, you get lost in the dream by the window. And then we send you back.

Limited tickets available now.

September 24
Seatings @ 6 PM, 7 PM, 8 PM
Tickets 🔗 you know where

620 Spadina — around the back, through the lot, past the steel doors, down the stairs, through the wood laminate door.

***
Dress code: white attire

Vegetarian? Write to [email protected] after purchasing your ticket and we’ll make sure there’s a bowl waiting for you. Unfortunately, we’re unable to accommodate other dietary restrictions.

A project of SVI
Supported by Shevchenko Foundation

INSTITUT panels are for big ideas and good conversation over drinks & kanapky.

Tonight, we’re kicking off our Ukrainian Heritage Month series with a very special conversation on libraries, archives, and museums during wartime – and the role diaspora organizations play in preserving Ukraine’s cultural heritage.

Meet the speakers: experts from the SVI Library, the Ukrainian Museum of Canada – Ontario Branch, and the Ukrainian Canadian Research and Documentation Centre, coming together underground to talk about what it means to preserve culture in times of war, why these collections matter, and the people working to protect them.

Come hang out, ask questions, have a drink, learn something.

September 10 @ 6 PM
PWYC // RSVP to secure your spot
🔗 you know where

620 Spadina — around the back, through the lot, past the steel doors, down the stairs, through the wood laminate door.