Björk has long written about and been inspired by the natural world, and the Icelandic artist will extend that theme with “Nature Manifesto,” a new sound installation running at Paris’ Centre Pompidou from Nov. 20-Dec. 9. Björk collaborated on the project with her boyfriend, Aleph Molinari.
In a social media post, Björk says of the 3:40-long work, “this immersive sound piece gives endangered and extinct animals a voice by merging their sounds with our words. We wanted to share their presence in an architecture representing the industrial age, far away from nature. In the veins of the escalator of the museum, known as the ‘caterpillar,’ we wanted to remind citizens of the raw vitality of endangered creatures. Even though you are restlessly traveling between floors whilst listening to this soundpiece, the tone of animals’ voices hopefully builds a sonic bridge towards the listeners.”
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“And in the spirit of these animals, in the magic of how they are sensually aligned with their environment, they become our teachers!,” she continues. “Their ghosts remind us of improving our primordial mindfulness. But we didn’t only want to talk the talk but walk the walk, so together with young environmentalists in France and Iceland, we have set up a campaign. It will launch later.”
“Nature Manifesto” was created for a program dubbed “Biodiversity: Which Culture for Which Future” in tandem with the French Biodiversity Office. “According to scientists, a million species are threatened with extinction due to human activities,” per Centre Pompidou. “This silent collapse is striking, both by its massive nature and its speed.”
Björk’s 2022 album, Fossora, ruminated on survival, death and ecological destruction through the lens of fungi. Last year, she teamed with Rosalía for the single “Oral,” which railed agains the practice of fish farming in Iceland.
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