At the Pompidou Center in Paris, Björk delivers an optimistic manifesto for nature – rts.ch

In the Caterpillar – an iconic series of glass escalators – at the Center Pompidou in Paris, the Icelandic artist Björk mixes her phrasing with the cries of extinct animals. Animals that we can hear thanks to Ircam, the Acoustic/Music Research and Coordination Institute, which made its technologies available to this project.

“Conceived as a post-optimistic manifesto on nature, this sound work by Björk and Aleph addresses the unprecedented attack on biodiversity and the collapse of ecosystems,” indicates the Center Pompidou on its website.

The objective of this project entitled “Nature Manifesto” is to alert people to the need to act. This immersive sound installation creates an immersive auditory experience that reflects current environmental challenges, prompting us to rethink our connection with nature and our role in its preservation. And we must act quickly, because according to the “Living Planet” report from the World Wildlife Fund, wildlife populations have declined by 73% in fifty years.

Nature at the heart of Björk’s work

Björk has these figures well in mind. His commitment to ecology through his art is not new. In 2023, with the Spanish singer Rosalía, she released the song “Oral” to defend the cause of salmon. The profits from this duo were entirely donated to the fight against the intensive farming of this fish.

The previous year, the Icelander had published “Fossora”, her “mushroom” album as she likes to describe it. The graphics of the project, some song lyrics touch on the mushroom theme, but the reason is mainly due to the fact that, as with mushrooms, the roots of the album are deep. The singer pays tribute to her deceased mother, a former environmental activist, makes her children sing in the choirs and becomes one with the land that raised her: Iceland, a small island where nature is everywhere.

The figures and various statistics concerning the climate may not be the most encouraging, Björk remains hopeful. A hope that she places in the new generation. The artist announced that his installation “Nature Manifesto” at the Center Pompidou constitutes a preamble to a collaboration with French and Icelandic environmental activists. Last Friday, Björk lent her Instagram account to three French environmental activists to denounce Emmanuel Macron’s policy concerning the oceans.

Radio subject: Marie Crevoisier

Adaptation web: ld

“Nature Manifesto”, by Björk and Aleph, Center Pompidou, Paris, from November 20 to December 9, 2024.