by Okwui Okpokwasili and Asiya Wadud
Paperback: 52 pages
Published: 2019
Designed by: HR Hegnauer
Cover art: Ralph Lemon
Price: $12 (includes shipping)

day pulls down the sky / a filament in gold leaf marks a first-time collaboration between Belladonna* Collaborative and Danspace Project.

day pulls down the sky is the title of Okpokwasili’s first (and simultaneously released) LP initiated by Danspace Project’s executive director and chief curator Judy Hussie-Taylor who brought the idea of a recording to Okwui during one of their meetings about Danspace’s Platform 2020 and research institute.

These songs were written by Okwui between 2012 and 2018, some specifically for her interdisciplinary performances. Four of the songs were first performed by Okwui at Danspace Project, including sam’s song on the occasion of Sam Miller’s memorial on September 15, 2018. They were recorded on January 8, 2019 at the studio of recording engineer John Kilgore. The album was produced by Okwui’s longtime artistic collaborator Peter Born.

Immediately upon hearing about this recording, Belladonna’s founder Rachel Levitsky had the idea to publish the lyrics and to invite Asiya Wadud to write in response to Okwui’s songs.