The Amazing New Energy Artist Bjork: Part Two
Bjork Biophilia ~
A New Energy Artist: Part Two
by Margo Renay Sullivan
She refreshes the musical experience of her creation 'Biophilia' in an intimate performance experience complemented with an interactive educational tour in New York, February 2012. These installations followed the release of her evolving campaign using the Internet and tutorial videos and co-partnering with The Creator Project.
Installations and Live Shows:
Björk called the performances a "meditation on the relationship between music, nature and technology'. Björk performed Biophilia tracks and music from her back catalogue with a small group of musical collaborators, including Graduale Nobili, an Icelandic female choir.
The show featured a range of specially-conceived and crafted instruments, among them a Tesla coil, a bespoke pipe organ that accepts digital information and a pendulum that harnesses the Earth's gravitational pull to create musical patterns.
Stephen Malinowski designed some animations which are displayed for Björk's use as a teleprompter; one animation is also projected to be viewed by the audience. Malinowski's animations are also included in the app.
In partnership with The Creators Project and the New York Hall of Science, Björk is set to bring her live Biophilia show to NYSCI. {Feb 2012}.
The NYSCI shows have been set to Björk’s original Biophilia specifications, as audio-visual shows in an intimate setting with no audience member more than a few yards from the stage. All shows are performed in the round. Ages 16 and older.
The performances at NYSCI will take place at 8:30 pm in the Great Hall. The Great Hall is NYSCI's original building, which was designed by Harrison and Abramovitz Architects for the 1964/1965 World's Fair. With undulating blue Dalle de Verre glass and concrete walls, the building was designed to give the illusion of being in deep space.
Biophilia premiered this past summer at the Manchester International Festival (MIF) in England in what The Wall St. Journal called a “magical evening,” followed by a sold out residency in Björk’s hometown of Reykjavik, Iceland. Initially commissioned by MIF, the intimate performance finds Björk accompanied by a set of unique musical instruments created by a team including an Icelandic organ builder and a graduate of the MIT Lab.
Among these creations are four 10-foot pendulum-harps, a MIDI-controlled pipe organ celeste re-fitted with bronze gamelan bars, and twin musical Tesla coils. The performance also features an award-winning 24-piece Icelandic female choir and visuals from the Biophilia Apps with app developer Max Weisel performing on stage alongside Björk and musicians Manu Delagu and Zeena Parkins.
Creative Partnerships and Educational Tours
In addition to the live performance, Björk will collaborate with NYSCI on a three-week-long Biophilia education series. Featuring interactive science and music workshops for middle-school children, the series leads students on an intensive study of the scientific concepts at the core of Biophilia’s songs, including crystalline structures, lunar phases, viruses, and more. Students will also learn to use the Biophilia Apps as tools for music composition and delve into the study of how musicology relates to nature.
The Creators Project will be presenting Biophilia, and supporting the development of the education program for the United States. An ongoing global arts and technology initiative, the Creators Project was founded by Intel and Vice in order to support visionary artists, musicians, and filmmakers who are using technology to push the bounds of creative expression. Content around the Biophilia project will be available at http://www.thecreatorsproject.com/.
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