BJÖRK ON BJÖRK: CORNUCOPIA
björk: cornucopia
this was a five-year tour
at this point i had been working for a decade
with 360-degree sound and visual softwares
first doing biophilia as an app album,
and vulnicura as a vr album
i was deeply inspired by a fully-immersive experience,
and spent one spring in a lighthouse in iceland
spreading my new album utopia into fully surround speakers
my intention was to take what we created for 21st century vr
into a 19th century theatre,
to take it from the headset onto a stage
this was only possible with 27 moving curtains
that captured projections on different textures and LED screens
into a digitally animated show:
a modern lanterna magica for live music
in this digitally animated show
i also wanted to feature bespoke instruments:
a magnetic harp, an aluphone, a circularflute and a reverb chamber
that was especially built with an audio-architect
to enhance the most intimate version of a performance
in a personal chapel
and through this tale
there is a subplot threaded,
a second story of an avatar,
a modern marionette who alchemically mutates,
from puppet to puppet,
from the injury of a heart wound
into a fully-healed state
i hope you enjoy
warmth
bjork
the reverb chamber
often, in all things theatrical, things are first designed to look beautiful
and later fixed to sound right. but this time i wanted to start by creating
something that would sound magnificent. so I collaborated with
an acoustician to build a reverb chamber that would be placed on stage.
it was deeply inspiring when the shapes began to appear, it was like
a miniature temple or cathedral. this reverb chamber reveals an aesthetic
inspired by sound.
when i warm up my voice i often feel that my head reverberates
and my skull becomes a sonic chapel. the shape ofthe ceiling
of the reverb chamber is ofthe same nature.
singers often have two voices: one they can amplify through a microphone
and another more acoustic, similar to how singing in the shower fills a room
with sound. at times, singing into a microphone at a concert can harden
melodies, soi wanted to explore acoustic singing through natural reverb.
for the more introverted songs, i walk into the reverb chamber and sing
into field-recording microphones woven into the ceiling. the chamber
provides a live feed that is projected as an animation onto the chamber.
it is an attempt to capture a more feminine and less penetrative audio
experience.
the circle flute
the circle flute consists of four flutes that are joined into a curve that forms a
circle. this peculiar instrument requires four players to come together into
a quartet. as the instrument cannot be played individually, each player is
indispensable and intertwined into a relationship to the other players.
organ pipes
the length of the pipes connected to the organ allows them to create deep
and powerful sounds. the larger pipe, over 7 meters long and 360 kilos,
plays an E flat; while the smaller pipe, over 5 meters long and 150 kilos,
plays a B flat.
the segulharpa
the segulharpa is an electromagnetic acoustic harp. this unique instrument
has 25 steel strings hidden within. each string interacting with magnetic
fields created by an internal analog circuitry. touch sensors are embedded
into the grain of the wood. and as the player touches the surface. a set of
wonderfully complex interactions are created inside the instrument.
the piezoelectric violin
this piezoelectric violin is made out of five custom 30-printed music
instruments that are then mounted onto a sonic back plate. this bespoke
instrument was originally created for an exhibition at the javits center in
new york city, and was designed and prototyped by a team of architecture
students. the piezoelectric violin was 30-printed in PLA plastic and coated
with a hi-gloss car paint and then polished.
the aluphone
invented by denmark's marimba player kai stensgaard and designer
michael hansen. the aluphone is a unique instrument consisting of varying
sizes of hand-molded aluminum bells. it is an astonishingly versatile
instrument capable of producing rich and clear sounds usually associated
with the vibraphone. tubular bell and the tibetan singing bowls
played with a soft mallet. the aluphone produces a meditative tone similar
to the Japanese temple bells. depending on whether it is played by a soft.
medium. or hard mallet, it can either sound like a Japanese temple bell or
deliver a crystal clear tone associated with a vibraphone or a powerful bell
the xylosynth
the xylosynth is an electric percussion mallet instrument with designated
samples or sounds in each of its wooden bars. its dynamic range and
response provides room for expression from the musician
For more information, please contact Carla Sacks, Krista Williams
at Sacks & Co., 212.741.1000.
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