Björk has recorded her first on-camera interview in a decade with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. Her striking outfit, adorned with 97,000 Swarovski crystals, has sparked comparisons to the Dune universe.
“The ultimate Bene Gesserit reverend mother”
Icelandic musician and icon Björk recently sat down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe in her first on-camera interview in a decade.
As noted by Lowe in the introduction of the interview, the reason why he sat down to speak with Björk was to discuss the release of Cornucopia, Björk’s high-tech concert film, capturing the immersive stage production of her 2019 theatre show Cornucopia.
As reported by Mbl.is, Björk’s outfit in the interview has drawn a lot of attention. The outfit was adorned with 97,000 multicoloured Swarovski crystals, designed by fashion designer Robert Wun. Embroidering the crystals onto the outfit reportedly took over 1,430 hours, and the entire process was done by hand.
One online commentator remarked that the Icelander looked as if she had come straight out of the Dune universe: “Björk dressed as the ultimate Bene Gesserit reverend mother.”
Blending VR and 19th century theatre
As noted by Stereogum, Cornucopia was originally conceived as a “world” for her 2017 album Utopia and its 2022 follow-up Fossora. The film showcases Björk’s vision of blending 21st-century VR elements with the grandeur of 19th-century theatre.
“This vision was realised with 27 moving curtains that captured projections on different textures and LED screens, creating a digitally animated show: a ‘modern lanterna magica’ for live music. I also wanted to feature bespoke instruments: a magnetic harp, an aluphone, a circular flute, and a reverb chamber, specially built with an audio architect to enhance the most intimate version of a performance – in a personal chapel,” Björk wrote on Instagram.
The concert was filmed during her September 2023 performance in Lisbon and premieres in part on Apple Music and Apple TV+, with a full theatrical release to follow.
