Björk’s voice enchants the Centre Pompidou and raises the alarm about climate change

Björk & Aleph unveil a sound artwork at the Centre Pompidou

Has the “caterpillar” of the Centre Pompidou suddenly turned into a lush jungle? For two weeks, the emblematic long glass tube that houses the escalator linking the six floors of the Parisian building is coming alive with a puzzling sound installation. The sounds of birds chirping, crickets screeching and frogs croaking are stacked as a female voice resonates: “It is an emergency / The apocalypse has already happened / And how we will act now is essential”. Some have immediately recognised the voice of the singer Björk uttering these words in a solemn tone. After those alarming opening lines and warnings about the mass extinction of endangered species, her speech quickly morphs into a tribute to biodiversity, foreshadowing the mutation of animals, humans and nature as our planet is witnessing quite a number of disruptions. Meanwhile, visitors are heading towards the top floor of the Parisian building.

Here is Nature Manifesto, an original sound piece created for the Centre Pompidou by the Icelandic artist Aleph Molinari, curator and co-editor-in-chief of Purple Magazine. As part of the ‘Biodiversity Forum: What culture for what future?’, which took place two weeks ago, the museum hosted a series of conversations and screenings about the threats faced by all living beings. The duo are showcasing their vision in a symbolic part of the architectural building designed by Renzo Piano, a space that has never been used before for any artistic project – the caterpillar, which is well-known by the public, since its access remains free of charge to the most curious eyes.

“Climate crisis is worsening everyday. It is exponential and we all are aware of it,” Aleph Molinari shares with us, since the latter is behind this original project. “So it’s important to forge links between scientists, who are raising the alarm, and artists, who have the power to add a narrative and emotions to all an information that is sometimes hard to comprehend. They have to deliver a message that goes beyond hope and anxiety and enters the realm of action.” Keeping that in mind, Aleph and Chloé Siganos, Head of Live Performances at the Centre Pompidou, decided to work together on an immersive sound creation revolving around environmental issues a few months ago, before the museum closes in 2025.

Björk: a committed singer, aware of the climate crisis

As Björk’s close friend, the curator immediately saw her as the ideal artist to collaborate with. For years, the famous singer has been fighting for the preservation of ecosystems through numerous actions in the field, ranging from campaigns to protect Icelandic nature to live performances to protest against the takeover of nature’s energy resources. Just a year ago, she unveiled an unreleased duet with Rosalía – the proceeds were to fund the legal costs needed to control intensive salmon farming. Coupled with the abundant imagination that the artist has unpacked in her lyrics and videos over the past thirty years, all these initiatives are above all motivated by her hope and desire to have a positive impact on the world.

A collaborative sound manifesto with the Ircam’s participation

Aleph had been particularly struck by the text unfurling on the stage’s screens, as tribute to nature and a call to action, during the Icelandic singer’s last world tour. He wanted to rework the very same text with Björk and turn it into a manifesto that she would proclaim in the space of the Paris museum. Yet, a mere reading would have never satisfied a tireless musician always eager to counter general expectations. To accompany her text, Björk collected recordings of nature and animal sounds and worked on them for months to compose this 3:40-minute piece with the help of composers Robin Meier Wiratunga and Bergur Þórisson, as well as with the FrenchInstitute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music (Ircam). “The initial idea was to use animal sounds to give nature a voice,” Aleph explains. “We wanted to incorporate endangered species and other more invasive ones, such as mosquitoes, which will inevitably migrate to the northern part of the globe because of global warming.”

Fauna and flora come to life in the escalators

As you walk up the escalators of the Centre Pompidou, bordered by loudspeakers, you might think you can hear the screams of orang-utans and seals or the buzzing of bees, while the voice of Björk reads the names of several species, including belugas, peacocks, lemurs… Despite this first impression, we learn that the Icelandic singer has in fact changed the sound frequency of the animal screams to create confusion. For instance, the sound of monkeys now imitates the flight of insects. The addition of a bass line, which vibrates louder and louder as you make your way up through the caterpillar, gives an impression of elevation right up to the top floor, where the symphony explodes on more rhythmic beats. “This piece is all the more relevant since it is presented in the middle of a big city, very far away from nature,” the Mexican curator adds.

An organic process that incorporates artificial intelligence

Aleph was fascinated to discover the creative process of the avant-garde singer through that project. Indeed, Björk has made a name for herself over the years by integrating technology into her artistic process early on in her career, when its use was often disparaged in the music industry. “Björk works in a very artisanal and organic way. When she composes, she weaves the sounds together, as if she was doing crochet. There’s a lot of caressing in her gestures, yet the result is sometimes heavier and more powerful, just like what you hear at the top of the caterpillar.” Using the tools and software made available by the Ircam, the creation of the piece also borrows from artificial intelligence in order to fluidify some actions and transform some sounds.

While AI worries many artists, Aleph and Björk prefer to embrace its many possibilities. “With artificial intelligence, there is for sure a formal, highly structured and rational aspect to developing prompts, but there is also a very poetic side,” the curator explains. “These tools are able to produce completely unexpected results, almost like Dadaist poems. For me, the real challenge lies in how we use these technologies, which consume a huge amount of resources, and how we provide solutions to today’s challenges.”

A film by Anohni and an evening of DJ sets featuring Joakim and Mykonos

In addition to the Nature Manifesto, Aleph was also in charge of two other major projects that marked the forum’s programme. Firstly, last Saturday’s screening of a new film by the committed singer Anohni, focusing on the Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto, the first woman to be democratically elected head of a Muslim country before her assassination in 2007. “This film conveys a very profound message about our relationship with nature, but also about the female figure, and in particular the mother figure,” Aleph comments, before adding: “It insists on the need to give power back to women, because they are the closest ones to nature, they’re able to give life and to protect it.” Along with the screening, Aleph hosted an event with musicians Joakim and Mykonos in the evening. In their respective DJ sets, the three artists played electro music mixed with the sounds of nature to complete this poetic, jubilant and deeply optimistic celebration of biodiversity.

Björk & Aleph, ‘NATURE MANIFESTO’, a sound piece presented from November 20th to December 9th, 2024, in the caterpillar of the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Discover the full programme of the event here.