Ahead of the limited theatrical release of Björk‘s extended concert film on May 7, we’re getting a glimpse of it in the Cornucopia trailer. The concert experience, which includes songs from her albums Vulnicura (2015), Utopia (2017), and Fossora (2022), is a dazzling combination of music and visuals woven together with a narrative of environmental optimism. In other words, it’s a perfect example of the artist’s unique perspective.
Björk began performing Cornucopia in 2019 as a residency at The Shed in New York City, pausing during the COVID lockdown and returning for more shows in 2022 and 2023, adding elements of the Fossora album. The film was shot at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal, directed by Ísold Uggadóttir (with Björk serving as “sound and visual creative director” in addition to music arrangements, production and performance). A shortened version of the film premiered on Apple TV+ in January, but the full-length version being released to theaters will run an extra 50 minutes. In the intriguing, compelling Cornucopia trailer, the singer invites us to “imagine a world where nature and technology collaborate.”
Speaking with Paper magazine earlier this year, Björk explained that “the birth of Cornucopia was about taking the 21st-century headset, taking it out of VR and putting it onto a 19th-century stage. So we did 27 screens that were open and closing, like an analog VR. And that’s why I called it ‘Cornucopia.'” In translating the concert experience to the screen, “I got the original animation that was made for each song and we added it in front of the film. It’s almost like you add the fourth wall. When you’re there in the room, you see the animation very high-def in its entirety, but the problem you have when you edit a film is you see each thing for only a few seconds. You keep jumping between each visual. So I was just like, ‘Let’s put that layer on top,'” she said. “We spent a few weeks layering and adding to it, because for me it’s always the balance between the digital and the analog. I really like when it’s equal, it’s a twist. If it co-exists, it’s a turn-on for me. Putting the fantasy there in high-res, it kept the balance just right.”
