80 Decibels, Institute of Performative Law, PSPA Premiere

Noise is the second - after air pollution - greatest environmental threat to health. Yet the state fails to provide effective protection, and one in five of us lives in places where sound levels exceed norms considered harmful.

"80 Decibels" is a performance about life in a city where noise has become the norm. The title refers to the sound level that residents of the newly built Warsaw neighbourhood Przy Alejach face daily. Starting with the story of one neighbourhood, the performance quickly reveals the scale of the problem: why does Poland build new housing in places where noise standards are regularly exceeded, and who is responsible - developers, officials, the state?

The creators conduct a theatrical investigation, weaving residents' stories with legal analysis and expert knowledge. Sound becomes not only the subject of the performance but also its primary material - the audiovisual form lets audiences feel the weight of the issue. At its core: a question about responsibility for how we design and develop cities, and what can be done about it.

The performance was created as part of the Polish Network of Performative Arts programme - an initiative of the Institute of Urban Culture in Gdańsk, Komuna Theatre Warsaw, Kana Theatre in Szczecin, Culture Centre in Lublin, and Culture Centre Zamek and Pavilion in Poznań. It was funded by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund.