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Björk
Björk is a contemporary icon whose contributions to music, video, film, fashion and art have influenced a generation worldwide. Designed by top graphic design agency M/M as a slipcased world of wonders, this publication-which accompanies The Museum of Modern Art's spring 2015 exhibition on Björk-is composed of six parts: four booklets, a paperback and a poster. Each booklet contains illustrated texts by, respectively, curator Klaus Biesenbach, New Yorker music critic Alex Ross, British professor of musicology Nicola Dibben and the philosopher Timothy Morton (in conversation with Björk), while the poster features artwork from Björk's albums and singles. The main book focuses on her seven major albums and the personas created for each one. Poetic texts by longtime collaborator, Icelandic poet Sjón, are accompanied by shots of Björk performing live; multiple stills from music videos made by directors including Michel Gondry, Chris Cunningham and Spike Jonze; images of Björk in breathtaking costumes by designers such as Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan; and shots by star photographers such as Nan Goldin, Juergen Teller, Stéphane Sédnaoui, Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin and Araki. All combine to form an extraordinary design masterpiece, celebrating the magical world of Björk.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
About the author
Klaus Biesenbach
44 books4 followersBiesenbach founded Kunst-Werke (KW) Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin in 1991, as well as the Berlin Biennale in 1996, and remains Founding Director of both entities. Under his artistic and executive directorship, KW and the Berlin Biennale were started as self-inventive initiatives and are now federally and state funded institutions.
Biesenbach joined MoMA PS1 as a curator in 1996; the museum's director Alanna Heiss had hired him part-time while allowing him to maintain his directorship in Berlin. In 2004, Biesenbach was appointed as a curator in the MoMA's "Department of Film and Media". He was named Chief Curator of MoMA's newly formed 'Department of Media, in 2006, which was subsequently broadened to the Department of Media and Performance Art, in 2009, to reflect the Museum's increased focus on collecting, preserving, and exhibiting performance art. As Chief Curator of the department, Biesenbach led a range of pioneering initiatives, including the launch of a new performance art exhibition series; an ongoing series of workshops for artists and curators; acquisitions of media and performance art; and the Museum's presentation in 2010 of a major retrospective of the work of Marina Abramović—with whom he was formerly romantically involved.
Biesenbach joined MoMA PS1 as a curator in 1996; the museum's director Alanna Heiss had hired him part-time while allowing him to maintain his directorship in Berlin. In 2004, Biesenbach was appointed as a curator in the MoMA's "Department of Film and Media". He was named Chief Curator of MoMA's newly formed 'Department of Media, in 2006, which was subsequently broadened to the Department of Media and Performance Art, in 2009, to reflect the Museum's increased focus on collecting, preserving, and exhibiting performance art. As Chief Curator of the department, Biesenbach led a range of pioneering initiatives, including the launch of a new performance art exhibition series; an ongoing series of workshops for artists and curators; acquisitions of media and performance art; and the Museum's presentation in 2010 of a major retrospective of the work of Marina Abramović—with whom he was formerly romantically involved.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 26, 2023
I wish I had a river so long, I would teach my feet to fly. Otro que me compré hace más de un año y amagué un millón de veces con leerlo. Llegó el momento.
I- "Introducción" (Klaus Biesenbach): Wow. Lo hermosa que es esta edición, siento que tengo paredes del MoMA en las manos. La introducción está muy bien, por momentos se torna muy crítica y cae en querer clasificar a Björk en etiquetas, pero pese a eso bancamos. Yo sabía que tenía que haberse formado escuchando a Joni Mitchell.
4/5⭐️.
II- "Más allá del delta: Las muchas corrientes de Björk" (Alex Ross): Genial. Yo no entiendo nada de música pero súper enriquecedor. 'La idea de izar una bandera propia, de marcar unas fronteras propias, recorre toda la obra de Björk.
Va más allá del cliché comercial del «Think Different», ya que propugna una filosofía de anarquismo estético mediante la cual el mapa redibujado del mundo de la música se convierte en imagen de una sociedad futura'.
III- "Björk creando: Mitos de la creación y la creatividad" (Nicola Dibben): El menos mejor. Mezcla las dos cosas más pobres para analizar una obra: crítica y feminismo de cartón.
3/5⭐️.
IV- "Un enorme y soleado abismo procedente del futuro, ahí, a tu lado..." (Timothy Morton): Por lejos mi favorito. Un intercambio de mails entre Björk y Morton. Siento que es el único que realmente la entendió, no intenta snobbearla, sino fluir con ella. Hermoso. Me revitalizó. Me dan ganas de leer qué escribe él.
5/5⭐️.
V- "Los triunfos de un corazón" (Sjón): Ya no me da la cabeza, pero Sjón es cool.
A mí lo que me enloquece de Björk —modo R0l0n— es que le ha pasado de todo y nunca se quedó quieta. Al contrario, no es que lo usa, pero lo lleva con ella, como en la portada de Volta. Es una forma de acercarse al mundo que implica ser lo suficientemente curioso y vital como para decidir que el mundo sigue, sin tener que decidirlo, es algo dado. Ojalá ojalá ojalá tuviésemos más gente así en el planeta. Especialmente en literatura, donde el lenguaje está desde-antes-que-lo-pienses cristalizado. Hay que vivir cómodamente incómodos.
Se va para mi mesita de luz con los lyrics de Patti Smith y Florence Welch.
I- "Introducción" (Klaus Biesenbach): Wow. Lo hermosa que es esta edición, siento que tengo paredes del MoMA en las manos. La introducción está muy bien, por momentos se torna muy crítica y cae en querer clasificar a Björk en etiquetas, pero pese a eso bancamos. Yo sabía que tenía que haberse formado escuchando a Joni Mitchell.
4/5⭐️.
II- "Más allá del delta: Las muchas corrientes de Björk" (Alex Ross): Genial. Yo no entiendo nada de música pero súper enriquecedor. 'La idea de izar una bandera propia, de marcar unas fronteras propias, recorre toda la obra de Björk.
Va más allá del cliché comercial del «Think Different», ya que propugna una filosofía de anarquismo estético mediante la cual el mapa redibujado del mundo de la música se convierte en imagen de una sociedad futura'.
III- "Björk creando: Mitos de la creación y la creatividad" (Nicola Dibben): El menos mejor. Mezcla las dos cosas más pobres para analizar una obra: crítica y feminismo de cartón.
3/5⭐️.
IV- "Un enorme y soleado abismo procedente del futuro, ahí, a tu lado..." (Timothy Morton): Por lejos mi favorito. Un intercambio de mails entre Björk y Morton. Siento que es el único que realmente la entendió, no intenta snobbearla, sino fluir con ella. Hermoso. Me revitalizó. Me dan ganas de leer qué escribe él.
5/5⭐️.
V- "Los triunfos de un corazón" (Sjón): Ya no me da la cabeza, pero Sjón es cool.
A mí lo que me enloquece de Björk —modo R0l0n— es que le ha pasado de todo y nunca se quedó quieta. Al contrario, no es que lo usa, pero lo lleva con ella, como en la portada de Volta. Es una forma de acercarse al mundo que implica ser lo suficientemente curioso y vital como para decidir que el mundo sigue, sin tener que decidirlo, es algo dado. Ojalá ojalá ojalá tuviésemos más gente así en el planeta. Especialmente en literatura, donde el lenguaje está desde-antes-que-lo-pienses cristalizado. Hay que vivir cómodamente incómodos.
Se va para mi mesita de luz con los lyrics de Patti Smith y Florence Welch.
October 16, 2019
1 - 'Introduction' by Klaus Biesenbach
This is an okay read although it really feels like Klaus is trying to shoehorn Björk into a white cube art context which just doesn't seem necessary or enlightening. I understand why he does this - as the Archives book was made to accompany a show at MoMA NY - but it just feels misguided, forced, repetitive and just not that good a read.
It's 16 page read on white paper with nice images and layout throughout. The cover is a fold-out timeline of Björk's life up to 2015, it's a messy and cramped timeline that is a headache to navigate but it's nice all the same.
3 out of 5 stars
------------
2 - 'Beyond Delta: The Many Streams of Björk' by Alex Ross
A much much more relaxed and confident read than the Introduction. Alex basically gives a quick summary of her life and musical characteristics and history. It reads very well and easy if a little journalistic and shallow (it's not a deep dive).
It's a 16 page read on salmon coloured paper with black and white images throughout. Some of the images are literal black on white whilst others are black on salmon colour. It works throughout and ties the whole thing together nicely. Similar easy to read layout to the Introduction. The cover is bright pink and folds out to reveal sheet music for the song Pegan Poetry. A very nice touch.
4 out of 5 stars
------------
3 - 'Björk Creating: Myths of Creativity and Creation' by Nicola Dibben
This was an enjoyable read through the idea of femininity in Björk's work as well as a little dive into her use of technology. I enjoyed this section although it could be longer and in fact it feels like it was cut from a PhD thesis at times with Nicola writing of making an argument that she must then provide evidence on. It can come across a little overly formal and stiff but the content I enjoyed regardless.
It's a 16 page read on a light teal coloured paper with black and white images throughout. Some of the images are literal black on white whilst others are black on salmon colour. It works throughout and ties the whole thing together nicely. The cover is a more solid teal blue and folds out to reveal sheet music for the song All Is Full of Love.
4 out of 5 stars
------------
4 - 'This Huge Sunlit Abyss From the Future Right There Next To You...' by Björk and Timothy Morton
This is an odd one, an incredibly casual, rambling and dream email exchange between Björk and Timothy Morton. Honestly I went from loving to hating to loving to hating this as I was going through. They're just gushing over one another and going with the first thing that comes in their heads which can be refreshing but also a little incoherent. I came away none the wiser although it did make Björk and Timothy seem very wise if that's anything!
It's a 24 page read on a light green coloured paper with black and red text throughout (with a couple images). The text is very large and the format varies wildly throughout (how much of that was in the original emails is hard to tell). I wish this was all shrunken down to be honest. The cover is yellow and folds out to reveal sheet music for the song Aurora.
3 1/2 out of 5 stars
------------
5 - 'The Triumphs of a Heart: A Psychographic Journey Through the First Seven Albums of Björk' by Sjón
This is an almost biographical story/poem account of Björk's journey through her first seven albums by her long time friend and collaborator Sjón. The language and story is very straightforward, innocent and easy to digest but also very poetic and full of imagery and recurring motifs. I found it a little too niave to be honest but it was an easy and relaxed read. The book is also like an art book of promotional images which the text relates too and riffs off of. Some of the images are very iconic and it's nice to have so many images one after the other. But the matt pages dull the impact slightly. This isn't the best these images have looked or could look but it's nice all the same.
It's a 120 page read on white paper with large text throughout on the left pages with corresponding promotional of Björk on the right. This is more your traditional book style so no fold out music score... but Cover Me sheet music does adorn the front and back.
3 1/2 out of 5 stars
------------
Final Thoughts.
Considering the size, weight and design of this collection it's surprisingly light on content. It feels you are only skimming the surface of Björk's musical and artistic impact. It would have been nice to have the insight from some of those she has collaborated with to get a bigger sense of her artistic approach and what she's like to work with (photographers, costume makers, directors, make up artists etc). Yeah, I just feel this is physically overblown, it could have been half the size and had more information throughout. A really nice object but not as enlightening as I'd have expected.
3 1/2 out of 5 stars
This is an okay read although it really feels like Klaus is trying to shoehorn Björk into a white cube art context which just doesn't seem necessary or enlightening. I understand why he does this - as the Archives book was made to accompany a show at MoMA NY - but it just feels misguided, forced, repetitive and just not that good a read.
It's 16 page read on white paper with nice images and layout throughout. The cover is a fold-out timeline of Björk's life up to 2015, it's a messy and cramped timeline that is a headache to navigate but it's nice all the same.
3 out of 5 stars
------------
2 - 'Beyond Delta: The Many Streams of Björk' by Alex Ross
A much much more relaxed and confident read than the Introduction. Alex basically gives a quick summary of her life and musical characteristics and history. It reads very well and easy if a little journalistic and shallow (it's not a deep dive).
It's a 16 page read on salmon coloured paper with black and white images throughout. Some of the images are literal black on white whilst others are black on salmon colour. It works throughout and ties the whole thing together nicely. Similar easy to read layout to the Introduction. The cover is bright pink and folds out to reveal sheet music for the song Pegan Poetry. A very nice touch.
4 out of 5 stars
------------
3 - 'Björk Creating: Myths of Creativity and Creation' by Nicola Dibben
This was an enjoyable read through the idea of femininity in Björk's work as well as a little dive into her use of technology. I enjoyed this section although it could be longer and in fact it feels like it was cut from a PhD thesis at times with Nicola writing of making an argument that she must then provide evidence on. It can come across a little overly formal and stiff but the content I enjoyed regardless.
It's a 16 page read on a light teal coloured paper with black and white images throughout. Some of the images are literal black on white whilst others are black on salmon colour. It works throughout and ties the whole thing together nicely. The cover is a more solid teal blue and folds out to reveal sheet music for the song All Is Full of Love.
4 out of 5 stars
------------
4 - 'This Huge Sunlit Abyss From the Future Right There Next To You...' by Björk and Timothy Morton
This is an odd one, an incredibly casual, rambling and dream email exchange between Björk and Timothy Morton. Honestly I went from loving to hating to loving to hating this as I was going through. They're just gushing over one another and going with the first thing that comes in their heads which can be refreshing but also a little incoherent. I came away none the wiser although it did make Björk and Timothy seem very wise if that's anything!
It's a 24 page read on a light green coloured paper with black and red text throughout (with a couple images). The text is very large and the format varies wildly throughout (how much of that was in the original emails is hard to tell). I wish this was all shrunken down to be honest. The cover is yellow and folds out to reveal sheet music for the song Aurora.
3 1/2 out of 5 stars
------------
5 - 'The Triumphs of a Heart: A Psychographic Journey Through the First Seven Albums of Björk' by Sjón
This is an almost biographical story/poem account of Björk's journey through her first seven albums by her long time friend and collaborator Sjón. The language and story is very straightforward, innocent and easy to digest but also very poetic and full of imagery and recurring motifs. I found it a little too niave to be honest but it was an easy and relaxed read. The book is also like an art book of promotional images which the text relates too and riffs off of. Some of the images are very iconic and it's nice to have so many images one after the other. But the matt pages dull the impact slightly. This isn't the best these images have looked or could look but it's nice all the same.
It's a 120 page read on white paper with large text throughout on the left pages with corresponding promotional of Björk on the right. This is more your traditional book style so no fold out music score... but Cover Me sheet music does adorn the front and back.
3 1/2 out of 5 stars
------------
Final Thoughts.
Considering the size, weight and design of this collection it's surprisingly light on content. It feels you are only skimming the surface of Björk's musical and artistic impact. It would have been nice to have the insight from some of those she has collaborated with to get a bigger sense of her artistic approach and what she's like to work with (photographers, costume makers, directors, make up artists etc). Yeah, I just feel this is physically overblown, it could have been half the size and had more information throughout. A really nice object but not as enlightening as I'd have expected.
3 1/2 out of 5 stars
April 17, 2015
A brilliantly executed work of art, the packaging is beautiful and ornate. If only the content was as high quality as the outer. The first two books are a nice little look into her past and introduction to who she is, the third and fourth books are mainly just pretentious wordy essays that really don't keep your interest. The fifth book is a nice little poem summing up her story through her first 7 albums, accompanied by some gorgeous photos of Bjork in all her differing eras. A great book for die-hard fans, who this was created for mainly. I just wish it came with a DVD of Black Lake. Can't wait for that to be released.
January 30, 2015
Amazing interaction between Bjork and Tim Morton!
January 18, 2026
Really interesting and creative design for the typically more boring glossy-paged MoMA style (e.g. the butchering of the Pompidou’s phone book dada catalogue in 2006). Klaus Biesenbach’s introduction fits more within that tradition though, white cubifying an artist one would least expect or accept within that space. The essays were a little more successful, but nothing groundbreaking. They do save the best for last though with final two parts, the emails with Timothy Morton and Sjón’s Triumphs of a Heart, which were definitely the highlights (alongside the exceptional design).
October 20, 2021
Wonderful photos and beautifully printed and put together. I could have done without the entire booklet devoted to the "we saved the world" e-mails. The essay booklet went over my head... like way the hell over, but it was nice to look at the photographs. Same with Sjon's thick poetry book. But I'm very glad I looked at this boxed set. When it comes down to it, it's really just music, entertainment. No worlds actually saved.
March 10, 2023
Un coffret génial où l'on retrouve des essais plutôt satisfaisant dans l'ensemble, beaucoup d'images, un long poème de Sjón, un poster fantastique qui rassemble de nombreuses pochettes de singles et d'albums de Björk... Un incontournable pour qui s'intéresse de près à cette musicienne complexe.
May 26, 2017
Bjork fuckin rules and this is worth it for her explaining OOO to Timothy Morton alone
October 8, 2022
Es hermoso, pero tiene fotografías antiguas. Me quedo con la sensación de trayectoria inconclusa de Bjork
June 1, 2023
these are GORGEOUS a friend gifted them to me and i will be treasuring it forevermore. beautifully written and produced and also u dropped this queen👑
December 14, 2023
i only read the booklet thats her emails with timothy morton and i read that on dazed dot com but it got me into triple o and really changed my academic life and my human life
April 10, 2024
bjork changed my human life, went woosh into my river, splashing, white foaming at the lips, doglike jumping at open gates, what a gift from the cosmos, &c, just full of love
December 10, 2024
If you ever get closer to a human
And human behavior
Be ready, be ready to get confused!
And human behavior
Be ready, be ready to get confused!
March 14, 2017
A great gift - informed me completely on one of the best avant-garde pop artists of our generation. Beautifully packaged, designed, & written. It was great knowing about the meticulous crafting process regarding the creation of Vespertine ... or the emotion trauma that resulted in Homogenic & Vulnicura. All in all, if you're a fan - this is a definite pick up.
March 4, 2017
There was so much to love about this...it got me going back to listen to her albums with a new ear and I rewatched many of her videos as well with new perspective. My favorite bit by far was the emails back and forth between herself and Timothy Morton...wish there had been more. The collection solidified my enduring love for Bjork's innovative art and I hope there is much more of it to come.
February 22, 2015
I almost didn't want to open this... it is really beautifully designed and packaged. My favourite part out of the five, is Sjon's poem following Bjork's timeline through the years. Very profound and emotional! I only wish I could read music sheets so I could take advantage of the full experience this collection offers.
May 5, 2021
Una caja perfecta para ahondar en el universo experimental de Björk. Lo recomiendo solo para verdaderos fans, para aquellos a los que les fascine la obra de la cantante. Cuenta con un interesante viaje por la trayectoria de su carrera, tanto musical como videográfica, y deja también a la filosofía detrás de su arte.
August 5, 2015
Fascinating!
March 27, 2016
Juste un peu trop pointu parfois pour un néophyte comme moi. Pas vraiment un plaisir à lire. Mais quand même quelques infos intéressantes. Et le coffret est vraiment magnifique.
February 17, 2016
Iceland...
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