Laundry Room documents a unique theater initiative in the town of Pionki in the Masovian Voivodeship of Poland.
Around three percent of the population lives with intellectual disabilities, a proportion reflected in the town itself.
Twenty-five years ago, local authorities created a support center to provide assistance and meaningful social participation for these individuals. Within this center, a puppet theater was formed, giving its members the opportunity to perform, collaborate, and express themselves creatively.
The theater takes place in a modest room that once served as a laundry facility, which gave the troupe its name, Laundry. Within this simple space, the performers transform themselves into actors and storytellers. The puppets are worn like costumes, allowing the performers to project their personalities into the characters and bring them to life. Through this process, the boundary between puppet and actor becomes fluid, creating a distinctive theatrical language.
The troupe stages classic fairy tales such as Cinderella and Snow White. Over the course of twenty-five years, they have created eight productions and built a large collection of puppets. Many performances are presented outdoors for children, turning the theater into a public celebration. The group also organizes street parades and occasionally travels across Poland when invited to perform in other towns and cultural events.
Beyond the performances themselves, the project reveals the social dimension of the theater. The participants and staff have formed a close community that functions like an extended family. They organize kayaking regattas, participate in forest cleanups on World Earth Day, train together at the gym, and celebrate birthdays collectively. In Pionki, they are well known and widely appreciated.
Laundry Room is therefore not only a portrait of a theater group but also a reflection on inclusion, dignity, and community. It shows how artistic collaboration can create a space where individuals often marginalized in society become visible, valued, and connected.
About Arkadiusz Kubisiak
Arkadiusz Kubisiak is an independent documentary and portrait photographer based in Poland. He studied photography at the European Academy of Photography in Warsaw and further developed his practice through international workshops, including the program Transmission pour l’Image in Perpignan, France.
His work has received numerous international awards, including recognition from the PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris, Grand Press Photo, the National Geographic Poland Photography Competition, the SIPA Competition, the Tokyo International Foto Awards, and the International Photography Awards.
His photographs have been exhibited internationally, including presentations at the Art of Photography Show in the United States, the NEY Gallery in Warsaw, the Masovian Center of Contemporary Art, and the Warsaw Festival for Photographic Arts. His work has also been widely published in magazines such as Lens Magazine, The Eye of Photography, Black & White Magazine, Silvershotz, National Geographic Poland, and Digital Camera Poland, as well as in various Polish cultural publications.
Kubisiak’s photographs have appeared in several books, including Punished Town, Passing Shadows, and the collective publication Poland and Its People. His practice is primarily focused on long-term documentary projects that explore social realities and human stories. [Official Website]
