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Björk Opens Echolalia Exhibition in Reykjavík

The museum show features immersive multi-channel sound, hand-made visuals, a demo that signals Björk's next musical chapter.

Overview

  • The National Gallery of Iceland opened Echolalia over the weekend with three large-scale audiovisual installations on public display from May 31 through September 20.
  • The show reworks two Fossora pieces—Ancestress and Sorrowful Soil—into theatrical installations that center grief and ancestry and use the Hamrahlíð Choir in a 30-channel spatial sound setup.
  • Björk previewed a new demo called "Nerve Bloom" at the opening and shared clips on social media while visitors also recorded the piece inside the gallery.
  • Visuals were made in seven months of close collaboration with painter Natalia Kleszczewska and CGI director Natalie Liu, with Björk acting as creative director to blend hand-made art and digital techniques, supported by Apple, AIAIAI and Genelec technology.
  • The exhibition links to a planned August 12 Echolalia solar-eclipse event in Víðistaðatún that will include a Björk DJ set and performances by Arca, Sideproject and Ronja, and a companion Metamorphlings show by James Merry runs alongside the gallery presentation.