<\/p>\n
Bj\u00f6rk<\/a> has opened a major new exhibition in her native Iceland which is formed of three, deeply personal, large-scale audiovisual installations.<\/p>\n The exhibition opened at the The National Gallery of Iceland in Reykjav\u00edk on Saturday (May 30), and includes two emotional audio works written in memory of Bj\u00f6rk\u2019s mother. It also features a brand new film and sound installation, made from music that features in a forthcoming Bj\u00f6rk album that is expected to be released in 2027<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the heart of the exhibition are the two audio pieces inspired by the singer\u2019s late mother: \u2018Ancestress\u2019 and \u2018Sorrowful Soil\u2019. Each of them originally featured on her 2022 album \u2018Fossora<\/a>\u2018, and have now been reimagined on a theatrical scale within a museum context for the first time.<\/p>\n \u2018Ancestress\u2019 tackles themes of grief and renewal, and is showcased with visuals of a remote Icelandic valley in the gallery. It has been designed as a ritualistic meditation and blends cinematic landscapes with powerful, intriguing instrumentals.<\/p>\n \u2018Sorrowful Soul\u2019 is presented as an immersive nine-part piece, including 30 individual speaker channels transmitting voices from the Hamrahl\u00ed\u00f0 Choir. It has been designed in partnership with speaking company Genelec and aspires to make voice and architecture come together as one.<\/p>\n The third part of the installation is a new piece of music drawn from an upcoming album from Bj\u00f6rk. Details about the title and release date still remain under wraps, although the song that features in the exhibition promises to offer fans \u201can early glimpse into her next creative chapter through sound, film and immersive technology.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement, Bj\u00f6rk said that the visuals were designed by her alongside painter Natalia Kleszczewska and graphic designer Natalie Liu.<\/p>\n \u201cMy role in it was a creative director, bringing in the singer-songwriter tradition, where emotionally precise things happen inside the structure of a song,\u201d she explained. \u201cI guided colour palettes, textures and the environments the music happens in.<\/p>\n \u201cTo make this possible, during the process, Natalia often had to paint many shapes and Bj\u00f6rk added that it took seven months to complete, and added that she wanted to \u201cmerge old things with tech [to give them] soul and a meaning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo paint a painting is an analogue craft, but computer programming is craftsmanship too\u2026 and both can co-exist. [They are] encouraging each other to bloom even further towards a mutual world.\u201d<\/p>\n The National Gallery of Iceland also has a companion exhibition called \u2018Metamorphlings\u2019 in Gallery 4, which is designed by Bj\u00f6rk\u2019s longtime visual collaborator and co-creative director, James Merry. It explores sculpture, transformation and hand-crafted organic forms.<\/p>\n On top of that, the Bj\u00f6rk exhibition also premieres with the singer appearing in a look by Bottega Veneta, who joined the project and presents the look as part of an ongoing dialogue between fashion, moving image and experimental performance.<\/p>\n Tickets are available now for the exhibition, and it is set to remain open until September 20. It is further supported through creative and technical collaborations with Apple \u2013 who join as VR partner \u2013 and AIAIAI who provide headphone technology throughout the exhibition.<\/p>\n Visit here<\/a> for tickets and more information.<\/p>\n The new exhibition opens its doors following Bj\u00f6rk announcing a new solar eclipse rave taking place in Iceland later this summer<\/a>.<\/p>\n Echolalia will host a DJ set from Bj\u00f6rk, as well as performances from electronic music star Arca<\/a> and local talent Sideproject and Ronja J\u00f3hannsd\u00f3ttir, and is scheduled for August 12 in V\u00ed\u00f0ista\u00f0at\u00fan, Hafnarfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur.<\/p>\n During the event, there will be a two hour eclipse where the site will be bathed in the natural half-light, and just over one minute of \u201ctotality\u201d, where the moon completely obscures the sun and creates total darkness. Bj\u00f6rk announced the event in April, and also confirmed details of the new exhibition and forthcoming album at that time.<\/p>\n The musician\u2019s last studio album was the aforementioned 2022 record \u2018Fossora<\/a>\u2019, which was given a four-star review by NME<\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAn album of reinfatuation and reaffirmation, \u2018Fossora\u2019 is invigorating in its drive, if there\u2019s little of real surprise here; hard as the mushroom-gabber beats are, if you\u2019ve heard Pluto or Mutual Core, you won\u2019t be shocked,\u201d it read. \u201cAnd pop has, to an extent, caught up with Bj\u00f6rk a little; to those raised on Blackpink<\/a>, hyperpop <\/a>and trap<\/a>, \u2018Fossora\u2019 would hardly be so scary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n
sizes, different textures and layers of colours,\u201d she added. \u201cNatalie then developed the visuals, designing and overseeing CGI elements, and finding ways for the digital to sit organically alongside Natalia\u2019s world and include my dramaturgy and creative direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n