‘biophilia live’ is a concert film directed by peter strickland and nick fenton and produced by jacqui edenbrow that captures the human element of björk’s multi-disciplinary multimedia project: biophilia. recorded live at björk’s show at london’s alexandra palace in 2013, the film features björk and her band performing every song on ‘biophilia’ and more using a broad variety of instruments – some digital, some traditional, and some completely unclassifiable. the film has already been hailed as “a captivating record of an artist in full command of her idiosyncratic powers” (variety) and “an imaginative stand-alone artwork” (hollywood reporter) and is a vital piece of the grand mosaic that is ‘biophilia.’
“There are not many artists who can combine the lifecycle of a jellyfish with a breakbeat and make it work. But this is an extraordinary piece, perhaps more an opera, where Björk and drummer Manu Delago are at their virtuosic best. It’s utterly bonkers yet moving – especially a strange love song set to a mutating virus. It should be mandatory viewing for anyone about to dam a glacial river to facilitate aluminium smelting.”
- The Guardian
“a dazzling audiovisual spectacle that benefits from the full cinematic treatment . . . Heavenly constellations billow across dark sections of screen above the stage, sometimes engulfing Björk like she is some kind of gargantuan space goddess. . . . there are some gorgeous emotional depths here too, especially when the swooping harmonies of [the accompanying all-female Icelandic chorus] are given full rein.”
- The Hollywood Reporter
Biophilia is a multi-media project, comprising a studio album, apps, a new website, custom-made musical instruments, live shows, a documentary, educational workshops, and a live film. Björk has collaborated with app developers, scientists, writers, inventors, musicians, and instrument makers to create a unique exploration of the universe and its physical forces – particularly those where music, nature, and technology meet. The project is inspired by and explores these relationships between musical structures and natural phenomena, from the atomic to the cosmic. Biophilia comprises the following elements:
ALBUM
the eighth studio album by björk, biophilia was released in october 2011, available digitally and physically across standard formats. The songs were also featured within their accompanying Biophilia Apps, but with a more stripped-down structure for educational and game purposes, mixed by Damian Taylor and Björk.
LIVE SHOWS
for a tour spanning 26 countries over three years, björk worked with several one-of-a-kind musical instruments — some of which she commissioned — including four 10-foot pendulum-harps, a unique 10-foot pin barrel harp called the sharpsichord, a midi-controlled pipe organ and celeste, and twin musical tesla coils. live players included a percussionist / hang player, a programmer / keyboardist, and an award-winning 24-member icelandic female choir. the biophilia live show took place in specially chosen spaces and museums, rather than traditional music venues.
WHEN BJÖRK MET ATTENBOROUGH
a one hour-long documentary which follows björk and david attenborough as they investigate and discuss the connections between music and nature. narrated by tilda swinton and inspired by björk’s technological project biophilia, for which attenborough provided a spoken introduction, the film is a unique encounter between two of the most iconic thinkers of our time.
APPS
the world’s first app album, The Biophilia Apps are a collection of ten apps, one for each song. The platform serves as a three-dimensional galaxy in which the apps appear as constellations, each providing a multimedia exploration of music, nature, and technology. Comprising a suite of original music and interactive, educational artworks and musical artifacts, Biophilia is a music album that finally exploits the multimedia capabilities of mobile interactive technologies.
BIOPHILIA EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMinspired by the biophilia project, the biophilia educational program is designed to inspire children to explore their own creativity, and to learn about music and science through new technologies. biophilia recidency workshops in new york resulted in two biophilia-based programs running for several months in new york public library and the children’s museum of manhattan. the workshops in buenos aires, argentina and oslo, norway have sparked interest in neighboring cities. the curriculum is now being integrated into nordic and european curricula.
BIOPHILIA LIVE
a concert film directed by nick fenton and peter strickland, and produced by jacqui edenbrow, that captures the human element of björk’s multi-disciplinary multimedia project: biophilia. recorded live at björk’s show at london’s alexandra palace in 2013, the film features björk and her band performing every song on ‘biophilia’ and more using a broad variety of instruments – some digital, some traditional and some completely unclassifiable.
