…At dawn, sit at the Feet of Action. At noon, be at the Hand of Might. At eventide, be so big, that sky will learn Sky.
– Alice Coltrane

The octopus has nine brains, one located in its head and eight in its arms. Every arm senses the surrounding world and thinks with autonomy, and yet, each arm is part of the animal. Using this decentralized nervous system as an inspiration for Performance Space New York’s curatorial practice, the Octopus series invites artists and guest curators to individually organize an evening-length program with several artists working in any number of disciplines. Octopus continues Performance Space’s legacy of artist-centric programming and creating space for the exploration of ideas free from expectations.

Concluding Octopus 2018-2019 on June 1 is Mami Wata, an evening of films and performances celebrating experimental directors, organized by acclaimed stage director Charlotte Brathwaite, which invites audiences to enter into the universe of the poetic, the celestial, the divine and the ethereal through consciousness rising film and music. The event will feature work by Brathwaite, fellow director Cauleen Smith, composer/performer Justin Hicks, singer Jadele McPherson, visual artist Abigail DeVille, performers Okwui Okpokwasili, Paul Pryce and others.