The iconic Icelandic artist discussed new music, her most treasured piece of clothing, and the VR version of her 2015 album, Vulnicura – out today
Björk has always been an innovator – there’s the app that complemented her sprawling Biophilia album, the transformation of Utopia into a theatrical concert, and the ballet soundtracked by her music. Her latest project is no exception – today, the inimitable artist has re-released her 2015 album Vulnicura as a virtual reality experience.
The VR album includes many of the visuals that toured museums as part of the Björk Digital exhibition, as well as a new 360-degree animated score by Stephen Malinowski for each song on the record.
To mark the release of the album, the Icelandic musician went live on Instagram with Dazed’s Deputy Editor Anna Cafolla. Of course, in true Björk style, she appeared with an otherworldly face filter, designed by artist and Utopia collaborator James Merry. Here’s everything we learned.
THE INITIAL 360 IDEA MADE PEOPLE FEEL SEASICK
“We started this with a 360 camera on a beach,” Björk revealed, “and really tried to celebrate the angle of VR. We wanted to use technology to establish more intimate contact with the listeners.” The musician said that while testing their initial ideas in Sydney, people were very moved by the experience, but that the 360 aspect was a little too intense. “I was so excited by 360 sound,” she continued, “I made everything move in circles – strings, voice, everything. But that made people feel seasick so I learned the hard way.”
VR ALLOWS BJÖRK TO EXPLORE HEARTBREAK LIKE NEVER BEFORE
Björk explained that the VR experience is unique to Vulnicura, and wouldn’t have worked with any of her other albums. “My albums are very different – for some people they all sound the same,” she laughed, “but for me they are very different, and I could have only done this with Vulnicura because it’s the most old school of everything I’ve done – it’s heartbreak, which is the oldest format.”
“Maybe the music industry has always wanted me to be a cliché of the role women are put into where they self-destruct so they’re no longer a threat,” Björk continued. “I’ve always stayed away from that my whole life because I thought it was so one-sided, but in Vulnicura I ended up writing an album like that, where I actually am the victim. It’s the only album I have which has chronology – I wrote the first song before the heartbreak, then during the heartbreak, then other songs after the heartbreak. It’s meat and bones, so I thought I could attach to it something as esoteric as VR content that still hasn’t been made, because I felt confident I already had an emotional structure that made sense to me.”
SHE BELIEVES VR HOLDS THE KEY TO MUSIC’S FUTURE
The musician spoke at length about working within the ever-evolving medium of VR across the five years Vulnicura VR took. She and her team were constantly dealing with technological advancements, but she found the restrictions as liberating as the new tech. As examples, Björk reflected on the supposed ‘limitations’ on vinyl and CDs, and compared them to the criticisms of VR. “We had to go to the extremes of the medium before we could think about how to democratise it and make it accessible for all listeners.”
THE ALBUM WAS PARTLY INSPIRED BY THE ICELANDIC BANK CRASH
When discussing the influences behind the VR version of Vulnicura, Björk revealed one particularly unusual inspiration. “Strangely enough, I was inspired by the bank crash in Iceland,” she declared. “I took half a year off to work on environmental issues in Iceland, and then the whole country went bankrupt.” The musician explained that the crash encouraged her to see that “you don’t need money to go green”, and that working with technology doesn’t mean going against nature.
‘FAMILY’ IS HER MOST EMOTIONAL TRACK AND VIDEO
When discussing which video on Vulnicura speaks to her the most, Björk revealed some details about central track “Family”. “The lyrics are literally describing what my physical sensations were during the process of heartbreak,” she explained. “I think people who go through loss can feel like their arm just got torn out of the socket, but when they point it out, friends can’t see anything, even though for them it’s reality.”
“I witnessed very early on when I was testing other people’s VR,” Björk continued, “that it had the potential of making the invisible, emotional things we feel with our bodies actually happen. The way I experienced my heartbreak was that I had a big wound in my chest and I was sewing that, then I did a backbend – almost like a yoga pose called the ‘bridge’ – and all the blood in my veins was black lead because of all the sorrow, and it hardened into the sculpture of me doing a backbend. Once I healed, I would sew my wound and get rid of the earthly luggage and pain, and for a moment I would be this light being.”
“‘Family’ starts with me in a cave in the underworld, and allows listeners to sew their wound with the gadget they hold in VR. Then during the cello solo in the middle of the song, the listener can drill a hole from the underworld up to the surface, and you become this three metre tall light being that kind of walks through you.”
DON’T EXPECT NEW MUSIC JUST YET
When asked if she’s currently working on new music, Björk answered: “I’m always writing, but I’m really slow. You’ve seen that I put an album out almost every three years, but I’m always working on something in the background. I’m careful in the first year or two because I don’t want to describe (the work) and make it into a visual thing – I try not to let the more analytical part of my brain take over. Then usually there’s a moment where I’ve finished the previous album and will sit down to listen to what I’ve got. Usually it’s the opposite of what I’m currently doing because I’m bored of that, although in some ways it’s a continuation. But right now I’m a long way from new music.”
BJÖRK’S ACTING CAREER ISN’T OVER
When asked whether she would consider acting again – the polymath has starred in three feature films – Björk said: “I don’t know! I’m flattered that I still get asked. I wish there was five of me to execute all the ideas I want to do. One thing I’m learning is that I’m pretty idiosyncratic – when I do things according to my music world, they’re going to work, but I’m not sure when (I try my hand at different fields).” Though she concluded on a more hopeful note, declaring: “Never say never!”
SHE’S MOST CONTENT IN NATURE, AND SHE LOVES HER HIKING BOOTS
Björk revealed that her most treasured item of clothing is her mountain boots, which makes sense given she also declared she feels most content when she’s in nature. “Hiking with friends,” she mused, “and lighting a bonfire. I’ve got really into cooking straight on fire pits now.”
BJÖRK GAVE A SHOUT OUT TO GRETA THUNBERG
The musician ended her Instagram live with a direct message to teen climate activist Greta Thunberg and the Scandinavian government. “I’d like to celebrate that Greta Thunberg made it on the boat to New York,” she concluded. “I want to encourage the prime ministers of the Scandinavian countries to announce an emergency situation and deal with global warming.”