VOLUME 8 of the INSTITUT experiment. Every week, a different hypothesis. Underground at 620 Spadina Ave — around the back, through the lot to the steel doors, down the stairs, past the mechanical room, through the swinging wood laminate door.
Residency: KRYVA KOSA FOLK BAND
KRYVA KOSA is a collective of musicians and artists dedicated to sharing folk traditions from their diverse backgrounds. "Kryva Kosa" — meaning "crooked scythe" in Ukrainian — brings timeless village melodies from Ukraine and neighbouring Slavic, Baltic, Balkan and Finno-Ugric cultures to life through music, dance and communal exchange. They've performed and taught at the Bloor West Village Ukrainian Festival, Drom Taberna, Kosa Folk Arts Melanka, and recently completed a four-month residency at Hart House, UofT.
Open Rehearsals: A bi-weekly rehearsal open to everyone who wants to learn folk dance tunes from Ukraine and neighbouring Slavic, Baltic, Balkan and Finno-Ugric cultures. Learning material available online beforehand. During rehearsals we play, sing and dance to folky tunes without extensive teaching — creating an enjoyable atmosphere and learning environment.
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FILM | "EVE ON IVAN KUPALA" (YURI ILLIENKO, 1968) — BANNED UKRAINIAN POETIC CINEMA curated by PYLYP ILLIENKO
A visually stunning metaphoric tale of folklore, surreal imagery and the forces a man unleashes in pursuit of wealth — banned Ukrainian Poetic Cinema curated by Pylyp Illienko.
Vol 8: A poor Cossack makes a pact with the devil and is gradually destroyed by the forces he unleashes. Drawing on folklore and surreal imagery, Yuri Illienko's Eve on Ivan Kupala is a masterwork of Ukrainian Poetic Cinema — banned on release, and presented tonight by the director's son.
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9:30 PM | LIVE SCORE | ASTORIA x METROPOLIS (1927)
A synth-driven, Piazzolla-tinged reimagining of a dystopian sci-fi world split between elite luxury above and a brutal underworld below
Set in a futuristic city divided between industrial labour and elite control, Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927) remains one of the defining works of early science fiction cinema.
A mechanized dystopia where bodies become extensions of machines — and resistance emerges through fracture, rhythm, and repetition.
ASTORIA is a Toronto-based, producer-driven project working across tango, synth-driven composition, house, and Latin music.Built around the work of Jonathan Gejtman, the project draws from a background spanning film, television, and advertising — recontextualizing traditional forms through electronic production.Referencing the legacy of Astor Piazzolla while moving into a more synthetic, rhythm-forward language, ASTORIA treats composition as structure — something that can be looped, fractured, and rebuilt in real time.
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11 PM | VINTAGE VINYL | SHAUNT RAFFI
Late night vinyl from a Toronto curator rooted in Armenian and South West Asian and North African sounds — expect the unexpected.
SHAUNT RAFFI is an Armenian music curator, DJ and producer based in Toronto. He is the curator of Tapestry Jam, a monthly improvised music series, and the host of Sonic Salon, a program exploring boundary-pushing sounds. As the founder of Antikka, The Oud & the Fuzz, and Tapestry, Raffi has long built environments where artistry and community intertwine — rooted in a commitment to Armenian, South West Asian and North African cultures while fostering collaboration and experimentation.