EST. 2009

October 4, 2012

This Waxing Fascination







AS MY LAST RELEVANT MEMORY OF BJORK was in the screwball vulgarity that was "I Miss You", which my appalled mother made me shut off on a Saturday morning in 1997, I renew my fascination for the eclectic artist's work with a recent viewing of the dark yet dazzling Dancer in the Dark and an exploration of Biophilia.

The album, or better yet, multimedia project launched by Björk some twelve moons ago, electrifies me with its melding of extraterrestrial and intracellular inspiration for sound and visual, employing specially developed instruments and instrument hybrids, as well as highly conceptual compositions, that play with or against meticulously designed interfaces. Biophilia is Björk's 8th studio album, recorded partially on an iPad and released as a series of apps, making it the world's "first app album."

"Moon" is thus far my favorite, consisting of harp sequences that allude to the lunar cycles. Poetic! The video, which superimposes images from the "Moon" app on a single, continuous take of a singing Björk, owes its imagery to design duo M/M Paris and photographer duo Inez & Vinoodh. In spite of the fiery copper mane and large crystal prop, a more subtle -yet still sensational- element to the look is a harp belt by fashion label Three-as-Four, worn over an Iris Van Herpen dress.

Art. Fashion. Fascination!

"Moon" by Björk from the album Biophilia. www.youtube.com

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