Björk

Björk, as a whole, can be described as art pulled from somewhere deceptively beautiful, a dark crevice that produces something untouchable yet physically overwhelming. Her music is only one of the elements that creates this persona, and paired with her way of life, Björk creates an entirely unique experience. Not every musician is given the opportunity to have an exhibit dedicated to them in the MoMA, but the location was perfectly befitting of Björk.

In all honesty, I am no expert on her, but I know enough to know that she is entirely her own form of art. As a musician, every one of her album takes a new idea and expands it into something beautiful. As an artist, her entire way of life and wardrobe could be put into a book resting on the coffee table of the waiting room for a top interior design. In fact, a book of this sort exists, the evidence of her MoMA exhibit. At the same time, Björk is somewhat of an enigma, and understanding exactly who she is isn’t an easy task. (At least, I wasn’t able to in the 20 minutes I spent researching her for this post.)

What most fascinates me about Björk is her most recent album, Vulnicura, which is backed by a mix of strings and electronic beats, and is completely taken from live recordings during her tour. Björk’s voice travels through a huge range, and isn’t comparable to other musicians that I know of. As a whole, Björk’s music lies in some other dimension.

To some, both her music and her exhibit at the MoMA don’t quite hit home. An article discussing a visit to the exhibit, which was featured in 2015, describes it as hagiography, accusing it of overly exalting Björk as something more than she is (a human).

I don’t know where I stand on the issue. I know that I enjoy her music, and I know that I find her interviews intriguing. Although, at the same time, she doesn’t manage to pull me into all of her music, and I haven’t managed to listen to much beyond Vulnicura. The songs on the album are fragile and the notes seem to hang by a thread.

If you want to hear something different, I would recommend checking out Björk. She lived in Iceland for the beginning part of her life before moving to London with her 2 and a half year son. Even at 49, her music is not settling into any sort of regular form, but continuing to transform. Whether you enjoy it or not, it’s hard not to acknowledge the fact that Björk is creating something that helps to keep things moving forward. I can’t help but wonder if Lady Gaga draws inspiration from Björk’s bizarre sense of style and way of living. Making art is one thing, but living as it is an entirely different one.

One thought on “Björk

  1. I was unaware of Björk before reading this post. She seems very interesting with her unique facade and diverse musical sample. What I found most intriguing was that she’s 49; reading your post, I assumed she was in her 20s given her out-of-the-box, bohemian aura. I think the most impactful artists on a society are the ones who stand out and maybe are a little hard to understand (Prince, Michael Jackson, Kurt Cobain, even Kanye and Lady Gaga). I liked your comment about if Lady Gaga is inspired her and it made me think about how lesser known musicians influence the big names in the industry. Your post was quite thought-provoking and I enjoyed learning about a new and interesting artist.

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