Archives: Series

Using the Octopus’s decentralized nervous system as an inspiration for Performance Space New York’s curatorial practice, the John Giorno Octopus Series invites artists and guest curators to organize an evening-length program with several artists working in any number of disciplines. The series is named after legendary performance poet, John Giorno, and continues Performance Space’s legacy of artist-centric programming and creating space for risk-taking.
 
 

There is little doubt that the current moment is one of great societal change. How can we actively shape change if we are weighed down by burnout and despair? How do we find agency when we are traumatized by the relentless onslaught of state violence and negligence in everyday American life? 
 
For the next year, we explore how finding ways to heal ourselves—through collective, connective approaches—might in turn help us create new art, forge new alliances, and imagine new worlds.
 
We believe that artists, especially artists who work with the body, play a crucial role in this momentous task. Contemporary science confirms what healers and bodyworkers have known for a long time— trauma is stored within the body and we cannot talk or think ourselves out of it. We have to move through it to process it. 
 
In a country whose oppressions, inequities, and historical foundations breed intergenerational trauma, and in which those most subjected to trauma often have the least access to health care, healing becomes a political act. We are often made to believe healing is the responsibility of the individual. We invite you to join artists, activists, healers, and bodyworkers for performances, rituals, free workshops, and clinics in the attempt to heal as a community and a collective. 
 
Here are the first offerings with more to come:
 
Press Release
 
 

 
One of the great advantages of living in New York City is that we can hear new ideas as they are being created, instead of having to wait years for those books to appear on bookstore shelves. First Mondays allows us to share accomplished writers’ processes as they are happening and gives us an intimate insight into their new work in-progress, long before publication or performances. Join us every first Monday at Performance Space New York for a special opportunity to hear the future.