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Björk.
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After 20 years of making music,
selling millions of albums
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and challenging every kind
of musical convention,
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she is embarking on her most
ambitious project yet.
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To change the way we see, hear,
think about and make music.
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'This is probably, like,
very ambitious
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'and sort of, in a way,
a very grand project.'
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Bringing together nature,
technology and music,
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she's called her album Biophilia.
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# I shuffle around
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# The tectonic plates... #
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And she has a surprising
collaborator.
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'Welcome to Biophilia. The love for
nature in all her manifestations.'
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# Like a virus... #
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In a very special encounter,
Björk and Sir David Attenborough
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will discover what happens when
their two worlds come face to face.
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A song grows
sort of a bit like a crystal.
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Like, this would be
a 6/8 kind of song. -Yes.
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There's a mathematical
basis, isn't there? -Yes.
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And there's a mathematical
basis to crystals. -Exactly.
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Björk will explore
the science of sound,
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invent incredible instruments,
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create new forms
of musical notation
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in her quest to use nature
and technology to help us
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understand musical structure
in a radical new way.
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Seems to be around this...
about age that I am now
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that you have
to make a spiritual statement.
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With Biophilia, Björk is seeking
to discover a more natural
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and intuitive way for all of us
to make music in the 21st century.
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'We are on the brink of a revolution
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'that will reunite humans
with nature.
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'Prepare. Explore. Biophilia.'
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# No-one imagines
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# The light shock I need
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# And I'll never know. #
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'A lot of my sort of inspiration
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'and how sort of music and sound
function,
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'is very much built upon
when I was a kid.
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'I would walk 40 minutes to school
and back, any weather,
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'and my little way of dealing with
that was just to sort of sing.
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'And that would be when I was walking
in nature, kind of on my own.
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'So, for me, the line blurs
so easily between music and nature
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'because that's almost like
the same thing for me.'
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# Scrape those barnacles off me. #
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Iceland, November 2010.
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And early choir rehearsals
are under way
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in preparation
for a three-year world tour.
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For, for.
For, for.
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Even Björk's all-female choir
is unconventional.
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Many have trained together
since they were six years old.
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They've been chosen for their
remarkable sound and precision.
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The scope of Biophilia is vast,
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travelling from the outer reaches
of the solar system
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to the inner worlds of cells.
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For me, this project
is about the sound of sound
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and celebrating
how sound works, in nature.
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Björk wants to redefine how we
can make music in the 21st century.
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But to do that, we must first go
back to understand its origins.
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She has come to
London's Natural History Museum,
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where a fan has offered
to give her a guided tour.
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How nice to see you.
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Good to see you.
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Do you like this place?
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- Yes. It's very epic.
- It's a great place.
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There's everything here, from microbes
to man to minerals. Everything.
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It looks like a cathedral. Isn't it?
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The first director was very keen
that it should be
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a cathedral in praise of creation.
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With 58 million animals
and nine million fossils,
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it's the biggest natural history collection
in the world.
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And those are birds of paradise.
Isn't that extraordinary?
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That's a headdress nearly three times
the length of your body.
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- You've probably done that!
- Yeah, definitely.
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Björk is here because of
what we can learn
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about the evolution of singing
from the animal kingdom.
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By and large, the more beautiful
the bird, the simpler its music.
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The simpler its call.
And there's the lyrebird.
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- See the beautiful tail it's got.
- Yeah.
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The lyrebird song is probably
the most complex bird song ever.
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Is that the one you see on YouTube
imitating mobile phones and sirens?
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That's the very one.
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Because part of the way it shows
off to the female how clever he is,
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how wonderful he is,
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is not only by making music but by
imitating everybody else's music.
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So that if you listen in the bush
in southern Australia,
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you may think you're
surrounded by ten different species,
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but they're all actually made
by that lyrebird singing its songs.
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And the lyrebird doesn't just
mimic other birds.
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Its repertoire includes
car alarms...
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..and chain saws.
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Not unlike Björk, it's developed
a phenomenal vocal range
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which offers a clue to the
importance and purpose of singing.
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Your voice is a very odd voice, Björk!
I mean really.
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The fact that your larynx
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can produce this extraordinary
range of sound.
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It can't be just an accident.
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That range of sound was at one time
or another valuable and functional.
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And that you are exploiting
it in a way
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which would have made sense
ancestrally.
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That makes a lot of sense.
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Actually, the human larynx
is capable of so much more variety
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of sound than is required for language.
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That, to a biologist, would mean
that there was a function
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of the human voice
which preceded language.
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So that it's actually singing
is more fundamental to us
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than speaking.
107
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So we're actually born
all free-jazz singers
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- ..but we're just chatting away.
- Yes, yes, it is.
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So how do you think music
works for us now, the modern people?
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Well, one is absolutely clear,
and that is the sexuality of music.
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I mean, in, as it were, classical times,
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troubadours singing up to
their lady loves up on the balcony,
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"come and join me"
or "let me come in".
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But in our own culture now,
I mean, pop music is hugely sexual,
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there can't be any doubt about that.
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And that's why it is so popular
amongst people between 15 and 30.
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That's the peak of sexuality
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and it's the peak
of the passion about music.
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But it's not just about sex.
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Even our animal cousins are
expressing something less functional.
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Gibbons have
one of the loveliest songs
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and loveliest animal music
in the whole animal kingdom.
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When a male and female get together,
a pair forms
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00:10:25,386 --> 00:10:28,126
and when that happens,
they sing together.
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00:10:38,821 --> 00:10:43,501
And the great song of the gibbons
is highly complex
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and both male and female
take part in it.
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And I find that very touching.
128
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But whether it's touching or not,
it seems to me incontrovertibly beautiful.
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They don't know it's beautiful,
they're just exulting.
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The mystery to me is
how music has been used by humanity
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to take us beyond territory,
beyond sexuality,
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into something
that is transcendental.
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After three months of rehearsing,
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Björk's choir are getting closer
to mastering her compositions.
135
00:12:02,334 --> 00:12:04,088
But this is just the beginning.
136
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Björk still has to find a way
to turn her ambitions for harnessing
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the power of the natural world
into a radical musical performance.
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00:12:16,325 --> 00:12:19,173
You know, this project's about,
like, the universe and the galaxy
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00:12:19,173 --> 00:12:23,663
and lightning and, you know,
it's like, it's so mega.
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But I'm sort of, I calm myself down
and I think, OK, this is going to be
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the once in a lifetime that
I'm going to even attempt to go there.
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Takk.
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APPLAUSE
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MUSICAL NOTES PLAY
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March 2011 and Björk
is in a small metal workshop
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near the Thames estuary.
147
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She's come to meet Henry Dagg,
a sound sculptor
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who's created one of the world's
most unusual instruments -
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the Sharpsichord.
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# I feel
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# You compress her
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# Into a small space... #
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This solar-powered instrument
is a cross between a harp
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and a barrel organ.
It's taken him five years to build.
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It's programmed by putting pins
into a steel cylinder.
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With 11,500 holes to choose from,
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it takes a day to programme
just a minute of music.
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# That will make her shine
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# Tell her that you love her... #
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I didn't do right the phrasing.
161
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No, I think you were a bar behind.
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- Yeah, I know. I know what...
- In the B section.
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I have to... I'll work it out. Yeah.
164
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It's in the same key and it would
harmonise with that extra line
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so, erm, I can run it until it ends.
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MUSIC: "Sacrifice"
by Björk
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# Why can't you give her room?
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# Respect her spatial needs
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# I feel you compress her
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00:14:52,660 --> 00:14:57,997
# Into a small space... #
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WIND BLOWS
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All our senses come from nature,
our reactions come from nature.
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The obvious stimulus
that you can think of in nature
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or the inspiration
that comes from nature,
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is because you feel that
flower is beautiful,
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or you feel that that bird
soaring in the sky is beautiful.
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It's not nature, it's the feeling of
the composer about nature.
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And if you had a composer who was
insensitive to the beauties of nature,
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didn't matter how photographically
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he reproduced the sounds,
it wouldn't be worth a tuppence.
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WAVES CRASH
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MUSIC: "Sea Interludes"
by Benjamin Britten
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This music is from the
Sea Interludes by Benjamin Britten.
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OBOE PLAYS AN ARPEGGIO
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That seems to me clearly
to represent the rivulets,
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00:16:17,230 --> 00:16:20,811
the waves just trickling up
the shore and then trickling back.
187
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And that, presumably,
is the mighty ocean behind.
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It's not just painting a picture of nature,
it's much more important than that.
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It is a human being talking to
a human being.
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It is not a human being talking to
a landscape or a mountain.
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It is Britten speaking to you.
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MUSIC: "Crystalline"
by Björk
193
00:16:53,576 --> 00:16:57,389
But Björk isn't just inspired by
how nature feels.
194
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She's inspired by what it is,
how it's structured.
195
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Overturning convention,
196
00:17:04,057 --> 00:17:08,093
Björk wants to bring nature itself
into her compositions.
197
00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:14,553
With this song, Crystalline,
Björk uses the similarities
198
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between musical structures
and the structures of crystals
199
00:17:17,819 --> 00:17:21,199
to create a song which
mirrors the form of its subject.
200
00:17:22,044 --> 00:17:24,108
And what better place
to explore them
201
00:17:24,108 --> 00:17:27,614
than in the Natural History Museum's
massive crystal room.
202
00:17:28,255 --> 00:17:31,759
Wow, that's lush. It looks like
some sort of a forest.
203
00:17:32,252 --> 00:17:33,481
Quartz.
204
00:17:34,052 --> 00:17:37,886
One, two, three, four, five, six.
205
00:17:38,062 --> 00:17:43,763
A reflection of the shape of
the silica dioxide molecule.
206
00:17:44,654 --> 00:17:46,013
All packed together.
207
00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:48,833
The molecules will be,
as it were, six-sided,
208
00:17:48,833 --> 00:17:52,271
so when they're packed together,
they form these six-sided shapes.
209
00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:56,396
And it's amazing
how many people won't believe
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00:17:56,396 --> 00:17:57,655
that these aren't man-made.
211
00:17:57,655 --> 00:18:01,891
You know, they think, how could that
actually happen in nature?
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00:18:01,971 --> 00:18:03,845
And I think that's miraculous.
213
00:18:03,845 --> 00:18:09,308
For me, it's quite interesting how
the range of crystals,
214
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how like, totally different.
215
00:18:11,695 --> 00:18:15,489
They can look
really hard and merciless
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00:18:15,489 --> 00:18:18,771
but then really fragile
and pretty, you know.
217
00:18:18,943 --> 00:18:24,111
But this six-sided basis,
I mean, the basis of mathematics
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00:18:24,111 --> 00:18:26,394
lies at the heart of crystals,
219
00:18:26,568 --> 00:18:32,093
and mathematics lies at the heart of
many of your songs, doesn't it, really?
220
00:18:32,093 --> 00:18:36,646
I mean, because it's about the spheres,
it's about the universe,
221
00:18:36,646 --> 00:18:39,961
it's about the fundamental
things like mathematics.
222
00:18:40,145 --> 00:18:43,557
Yeah, and kind of has
inner logic to it.
223
00:18:43,557 --> 00:18:44,855
A basic structure, yeah.
224
00:18:44,855 --> 00:18:47,404
Well, also of course, I mean,
beats in the bar -
225
00:18:47,404 --> 00:18:51,455
I mean, you can have three beats
in the bar or two beats in the bar
or four beats in the bar,
226
00:18:51,455 --> 00:18:53,581
and there's a mathematical basis,
isn't there, to bars,
227
00:18:53,581 --> 00:18:55,394
and there's a mathematical
basis to crystals.
228
00:18:55,394 --> 00:18:58,670
Yeah, that's why it sort of seems
a very natural fit.
229
00:18:58,811 --> 00:19:02,868
Like, this would be uh...
a 6/8 kind of song.
230
00:19:05,601 --> 00:19:09,301
In Crystalline, Björk has turned
the structure of crystals
231
00:19:09,301 --> 00:19:12,480
into an unusual combination
of time signatures.
232
00:19:13,074 --> 00:19:15,426
The verses are in 17/8,
233
00:19:15,873 --> 00:19:19,888
and then in the chorus,
it sort of goes into 4/4,
234
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and then it's like a square,
more like a square.
235
00:19:23,022 --> 00:19:26,405
Absolutely. Or in this instance,
a cube. -Yeah.
236
00:19:29,055 --> 00:19:34,482
CHOIR: # Crystalline
# Internal nebula
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00:19:34,482 --> 00:19:35,992
# Crystalline... #
238
00:19:36,635 --> 00:19:40,133
Now, Björk's choir must learn
how to actually sing it.
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00:19:40,133 --> 00:19:41,056
# Crystalline
240
00:19:41,056 --> 00:19:45,133
# I conquer claustrophobia
241
00:19:45,133 --> 00:19:46,510
# Crystalline
242
00:19:46,510 --> 00:19:50,502
# And demand the light
243
00:19:50,502 --> 00:19:51,593
# Crystalline
244
00:19:51,593 --> 00:19:55,802
# Listen how they grow
245
00:19:55,802 --> 00:19:56,883
# Crystalline
246
00:19:56,883 --> 00:20:01,115
# Listen how they grow
247
00:20:01,115 --> 00:20:02,280
# Crystalline
248
00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:06,535
# Listen how they grow
249
00:20:06,535 --> 00:20:09,008
# Crystalline
# Listen how they grow... #
250
00:20:09,008 --> 00:20:12,849
Biophilia's musical director
Matt Robertson guides them.
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00:20:14,965 --> 00:20:19,090
..That makes it really easy
or really complicated.
252
00:20:19,508 --> 00:20:22,815
So if you're a counting-type person,
that's how to do it,
253
00:20:22,815 --> 00:20:25,945
if you're a listening type person,
then you just have to listen to it.
254
00:20:30,966 --> 00:20:33,949
Mathematics... I wish I was
a mathematician, which I'm not.
255
00:20:34,478 --> 00:20:37,589
But you sense the beauty.
256
00:20:37,705 --> 00:20:42,363
I know a mathematician would talk
about the beauty of an equation,
257
00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:48,412
and you can sense that when you hear
a five-part fugue by Bach,
258
00:20:48,926 --> 00:20:51,875
which also has
a mathematical beauty.
259
00:20:52,212 --> 00:20:57,094
And the fact that
you look at crystals
260
00:20:57,756 --> 00:21:01,859
and have called
one of your compositions Crystalline
261
00:21:02,057 --> 00:21:06,387
because it is about the mathematics,
the fundamental mathematics,
262
00:21:06,910 --> 00:21:10,965
which is the foundation
of so much in the natural world,
263
00:21:11,014 --> 00:21:14,245
and so much which is sublime.
264
00:21:15,018 --> 00:21:17,603
'Symmetry is an element
in musical structure,
265
00:21:17,603 --> 00:21:19,857
'and it's an element
in visual structure.'
266
00:21:22,545 --> 00:21:25,001
From the microscopic
to the galactic,
267
00:21:25,001 --> 00:21:28,589
our universe
consists of remarkable patterns.
268
00:21:31,228 --> 00:21:33,581
Music is also made up of patterns,
269
00:21:33,581 --> 00:21:36,843
but these are usually only heard,
not seen.
270
00:21:37,586 --> 00:21:39,574
Björk wants to change that.
271
00:21:39,589 --> 00:21:42,068
She wants to find
ways of visualizing sound
272
00:21:42,068 --> 00:21:45,447
so that we can understand
the ways in which is works.
273
00:21:47,543 --> 00:21:50,221
Evan Grant works with cymatics -
274
00:21:50,221 --> 00:21:53,189
the science of turning sound
into images.
275
00:21:53,189 --> 00:21:56,398
What I've got here in front of me
is what's called a Chladni plate.
276
00:21:56,398 --> 00:21:58,474
What it is
is a glorified speaker really.
277
00:21:58,474 --> 00:22:00,957
I mean, in the same way
that your speaker can move like this
278
00:22:00,957 --> 00:22:03,013
to resonate and pump sound
out to you.
279
00:22:03,013 --> 00:22:06,390
This can do that, but it has a post
attached to this plate.
280
00:22:06,390 --> 00:22:08,219
So I can vibrate this plate.
281
00:22:08,749 --> 00:22:10,373
By covering this with sand,
282
00:22:10,603 --> 00:22:12,925
I can then play a frequency
into this
283
00:22:13,236 --> 00:22:15,314
and these patterns will
start to emerge.
284
00:22:15,314 --> 00:22:16,771
OSCILLATING SOUND
285
00:22:22,117 --> 00:22:24,212
When we visualize sound through it,
286
00:22:24,564 --> 00:22:26,921
the lower frequencies
or the lower pitches
287
00:22:26,921 --> 00:22:29,483
are simpler, the patterns
are less complex
288
00:22:29,483 --> 00:22:33,382
and as we go up in frequency or
up in pitch, they get more complex,
289
00:22:33,382 --> 00:22:35,666
more dense,
arguably more beautiful.
290
00:22:35,790 --> 00:22:37,212
HIGH-PITCHED SOUND
291
00:22:40,499 --> 00:22:43,523
All around us, things are vibrating
and changing and shifting,
292
00:22:43,523 --> 00:22:46,065
and cymatics is like
this window into that.
293
00:22:46,115 --> 00:22:49,788
It enables us to reveal these things
that we couldn't normally see.
294
00:22:53,391 --> 00:22:54,972
Where do these patterns come from?
295
00:22:55,511 --> 00:23:01,216
There's no trickery here,
there's no complex science here,
296
00:23:01,327 --> 00:23:04,048
I'm just literally
vibrating something.
297
00:23:04,048 --> 00:23:06,781
And all of a sudden
these seemingly endless,
298
00:23:06,781 --> 00:23:09,416
stunning geometric patterns emerge.
299
00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:15,558
One of the things I love about Björk
and her approach to music is that
300
00:23:15,558 --> 00:23:18,254
she's very scientific. She takes
this very holistic approach,
301
00:23:18,254 --> 00:23:21,733
she looks at everything, she digs
into the world and into existence
302
00:23:21,733 --> 00:23:25,043
to try and bring real substance
and real meaning to her music.
303
00:23:25,043 --> 00:23:27,235
And, so, it was
a fascinating idea for me
304
00:23:27,235 --> 00:23:30,562
to try and visualize one of
her tracks using cymatics in water.
305
00:23:32,648 --> 00:23:34,833
And this is what
Crystalline looks like
306
00:23:34,833 --> 00:23:38,429
when we see all the components
of the song visualized.
307
00:23:39,571 --> 00:23:43,133
# Listen how they grow
308
00:23:44,611 --> 00:23:48,565
# I'm blinded by the lights
309
00:23:48,565 --> 00:23:51,631
# Listen how they grow
310
00:23:51,631 --> 00:23:55,580
# In the core of the earth
311
00:23:55,580 --> 00:23:58,972
# Listen how they grow
312
00:23:58,972 --> 00:24:04,346
# Crystalline
Internal nebula
313
00:24:04,346 --> 00:24:05,621
# Crystalline
314
00:24:05,621 --> 00:24:09,625
# Rocks growing slow mo
315
00:24:09,625 --> 00:24:10,955
# Crystalline
316
00:24:10,955 --> 00:24:14,942
# I conquer claustrophobia... #
317
00:24:16,210 --> 00:24:18,495
Seeing as well
as hearing Crystalline
318
00:24:18,495 --> 00:24:20,330
gives it an extra dimension.
319
00:24:20,519 --> 00:24:23,212
And it's this extra dimension
that is driving Björk
320
00:24:23,212 --> 00:24:26,604
towards her next
and most dramatic challenge -
321
00:24:26,604 --> 00:24:30,281
to find a way to bring nature
onto the stage with her
322
00:24:30,471 --> 00:24:32,927
for the first performance of Biophilia.
323
00:24:43,412 --> 00:24:48,573
It seems to me like I'm now letting
nature be like a superhero, basically.
324
00:24:49,161 --> 00:24:51,805
Showing nature off,
like it's like... wow!
325
00:25:09,695 --> 00:25:11,666
June 2011.
326
00:25:11,835 --> 00:25:14,960
Final rehearsals before
the world premiere of Biophilia
327
00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:17,207
at the Manchester
International Festival.
328
00:25:22,963 --> 00:25:26,749
Henry Dagg has brought his
two-and-a-half-tonne Sharpsichord.
329
00:25:27,195 --> 00:25:29,007
It's the only one in the world.
330
00:25:31,070 --> 00:25:33,900
- How are we doing on that top cornice?
- Yeah, we're OK.
331
00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:10,519
And is it solar-powered?
332
00:26:12,084 --> 00:26:13,540
- Not in England!
- No.
333
00:26:14,066 --> 00:26:15,776
BELLS RING
334
00:26:16,415 --> 00:26:19,107
It's not the only extraordinary
thing in the room.
335
00:26:19,266 --> 00:26:21,220
COIL BUZZES
336
00:26:21,853 --> 00:26:24,776
Björk has assembled an array
of ground-breaking ways
337
00:26:24,776 --> 00:26:29,122
in which to harness the musical power
of the natural world on stage.
338
00:26:31,813 --> 00:26:35,887
Nikola Tesla invented
the Tesla coil in the 19th century
339
00:26:36,037 --> 00:26:39,418
to conduct pioneering experiments
into electricity.
340
00:26:41,108 --> 00:26:42,634
He probably never imagined
341
00:26:42,634 --> 00:26:45,024
that it would be used
as a musical instrument.
342
00:26:47,069 --> 00:26:50,649
But the most unusual instrument
has been specially designed
343
00:26:50,649 --> 00:26:52,644
and built just for Biophilia.
344
00:26:53,109 --> 00:26:56,812
Björk wanted to find a vivid way
of using the power of gravity
345
00:26:56,812 --> 00:26:58,190
within her performance.
346
00:26:58,349 --> 00:27:00,189
She worked with Andy Cavatorta
347
00:27:00,189 --> 00:27:02,690
from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.
348
00:27:03,740 --> 00:27:05,598
Early on in the process,
Björk had told me that
349
00:27:05,598 --> 00:27:08,933
one of the things she wanted
to do was have this message
350
00:27:08,933 --> 00:27:13,192
that nature and natural forces
are like a rock star. HE LAUGHS
351
00:27:13,416 --> 00:27:16,587
So she wants to have gravity
352
00:27:16,587 --> 00:27:19,637
and electricity
and different forms of energy
353
00:27:19,637 --> 00:27:22,567
and all sorts of stuff,
displayed in a very, very raw way,
354
00:27:22,567 --> 00:27:24,861
harnessed in very raw ways
to make music.
355
00:27:24,871 --> 00:27:26,230
THEY SPEAK ICELANDIC
356
00:27:26,696 --> 00:27:30,012
Björk's creativity is occasionally
ahead of what people know
357
00:27:30,012 --> 00:27:33,204
how to do technically,
which is a great place to be.
358
00:27:34,438 --> 00:27:36,399
I got obsessed with basslines.
359
00:27:36,606 --> 00:27:41,850
And pendulum basslines, both in
classical music and folk music.
360
00:27:41,850 --> 00:27:44,638
They seem to be an
international sort of thing.
361
00:27:44,813 --> 00:27:49,251
And very often the mood
of the songs, they all are similar.
362
00:27:49,699 --> 00:27:51,973
BASSLINE PLAYS
363
00:27:52,423 --> 00:27:57,012
And they sort of do
like a dum, dum, dum...
364
00:27:57,012 --> 00:28:00,028
SHE HUMS BASSLINE
365
00:28:09,024 --> 00:28:12,983
This is a bassline by John Tavener
that I like a lot.
366
00:28:15,326 --> 00:28:18,256
I went back home and spent,
like, a long and sleepless weekend
367
00:28:18,435 --> 00:28:20,972
putting together
the very first prototype
368
00:28:21,300 --> 00:28:23,914
that I think all of us
felt really clicked.
369
00:28:24,547 --> 00:28:28,095
And we would make little films of
these things and send them off to Björk
370
00:28:28,095 --> 00:28:29,435
and see what she thought.
371
00:28:30,097 --> 00:28:31,993
And this is going to sound
really beautiful
372
00:28:31,993 --> 00:28:34,551
but we're extra psyched
about how it could look.
373
00:28:34,551 --> 00:28:35,788
So we're going to show you.
374
00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:40,034
MUSIC PLAYS
375
00:28:42,545 --> 00:28:45,098
Just by changing and playing around
with the rhythms
376
00:28:45,098 --> 00:28:46,840
in which the notes happened,
377
00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:49,944
you could sort of make all these
different musical feelings happen.
378
00:28:50,101 --> 00:28:53,002
So that was great.
It wasn't nearly enough
379
00:28:53,282 --> 00:28:57,187
to be able to play
a complex song like Solstice.
380
00:28:57,187 --> 00:29:00,074
But I think it demonstrated to
all of us that there was something
381
00:29:00,740 --> 00:29:04,177
really engaging about
just watching these pendulums.
382
00:29:06,156 --> 00:29:09,063
As they come through
the very bottom of their swing,
383
00:29:09,110 --> 00:29:12,626
there's a little plectrum
that sticks out and it plucks
an instrument on the end.
384
00:29:12,626 --> 00:29:17,043
It's a big circular harp
and they have a big cylinder with
the strings coming down the outside.
385
00:29:17,043 --> 00:29:20,719
And the harp can be turned
to play different notes.
386
00:29:21,304 --> 00:29:25,185
HARP NOTES PLAY
387
00:29:28,488 --> 00:29:32,635
This pendulum harp harnesses
gravity to play each note.
388
00:29:35,789 --> 00:29:37,417
This song, Solstice,
389
00:29:37,599 --> 00:29:41,036
is about the earth's rotation
about its own axis and the sun.
390
00:29:43,158 --> 00:29:48,566
With this instrument, the audience
will see and hear gravity on stage.
391
00:29:57,357 --> 00:30:02,134
Björk is using bespoke instruments
to alter how her music is perceived.
392
00:30:02,517 --> 00:30:05,247
And finding new ways
of understanding our experience
393
00:30:05,247 --> 00:30:08,046
of music is central to Biophilia.
394
00:30:10,397 --> 00:30:13,631
Professor Oliver Sacks,
the legendary neurologist,
395
00:30:13,631 --> 00:30:15,590
has been a key inspiration.
396
00:30:16,490 --> 00:30:21,063
'He is sort of the David Attenborough
of the brain and the nervous system.'
397
00:30:24,501 --> 00:30:27,684
Music has charms
which nothing else has.
398
00:30:29,335 --> 00:30:33,456
It can provide forms of emotion,
forms of enjoyment,
399
00:30:33,456 --> 00:30:37,481
transports states of mind,
states of body
400
00:30:37,771 --> 00:30:39,580
peculiar to it.
401
00:30:41,943 --> 00:30:46,115
Music pulls on so many brain functions
and unifies them.
402
00:30:46,463 --> 00:30:51,063
One sees that almost every part
of the brain is involved,
403
00:30:51,197 --> 00:30:55,396
and one saw that not only
the auditory areas, but motor areas,
404
00:30:55,396 --> 00:31:00,480
visual areas, prefrontal areas,
cerebellum, basal ganglia.
405
00:31:00,884 --> 00:31:04,327
All of these different things
were lighting up in the brain
406
00:31:04,327 --> 00:31:07,656
and interacting
and playing together.
407
00:31:07,809 --> 00:31:10,658
And music can do this
more than language,
408
00:31:10,658 --> 00:31:13,233
more than anything else.
409
00:31:15,206 --> 00:31:18,908
This effect of music
in somehow rewiring the brain
410
00:31:18,908 --> 00:31:22,846
is apparent in people suffering with
various neurological conditions,
411
00:31:22,846 --> 00:31:25,241
like these dementia patients
in London.
412
00:31:30,241 --> 00:31:34,680
ALL: # Daisy, Daisy
413
00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:37,232
# Give me your answer, do... #
414
00:31:37,232 --> 00:31:39,697
For people with dementia,
you need music
415
00:31:39,697 --> 00:31:43,254
which is charged
with emotion and with memory,
416
00:31:44,208 --> 00:31:47,923
music which is familiar,
music which is evocative,
417
00:31:47,923 --> 00:31:51,997
music which will provide
a bridge to the past.
418
00:31:52,716 --> 00:31:58,579
At such times, you see people
suddenly recovering memories
419
00:31:58,579 --> 00:32:02,454
and identities
which seemed unavailable to them.
420
00:32:07,375 --> 00:32:11,410
And they will be not only released
in the playing of the piece,
421
00:32:11,410 --> 00:32:16,814
but this sort of release may go on
for half an hour or an hour afterwards.
422
00:32:16,966 --> 00:32:21,630
# Oh, I love you, I really do... #
Here we go!
423
00:32:21,895 --> 00:32:24,011
# I love you
424
00:32:24,045 --> 00:32:29,177
# It's a sin to tell a lie. #
425
00:32:31,292 --> 00:32:37,826
Music can affect one at a level
far deeper than speech and language.
426
00:32:38,684 --> 00:32:44,509
It's often said that music tries to
express what language can't.
427
00:32:45,241 --> 00:32:49,891
If you ask what it's expressing,
it's expressing itself.
428
00:32:54,944 --> 00:32:58,221
Tonight is the first ever
performance of Biophilia,
429
00:32:58,367 --> 00:33:01,064
the culmination
of three years of development.
430
00:33:02,674 --> 00:33:06,511
2,000 people are about to hear
a very familiar voice.
431
00:33:08,184 --> 00:33:10,722
DAVID ATTENBOROUGH:
'Welcome to Biophilia,
432
00:33:10,868 --> 00:33:14,319
'the love for nature
in all her manifestations,
433
00:33:14,516 --> 00:33:18,141
'from the tiniest organism
to the greatest red giant
434
00:33:18,141 --> 00:33:20,893
'floating in the farthest realm
of the universe.
435
00:33:21,177 --> 00:33:24,186
'Just as we use music
to express parts of us
436
00:33:24,186 --> 00:33:25,989
'that would otherwise be hidden,
437
00:33:26,474 --> 00:33:29,797
'so, too, can we use technology
to make visible
438
00:33:29,797 --> 00:33:32,651
'much of nature's invisible world.
439
00:33:33,653 --> 00:33:37,425
'In Biophilia, you will experience
how the three come together -
440
00:33:37,425 --> 00:33:40,288
'nature, music, technology.'
441
00:33:40,288 --> 00:33:42,527
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
442
00:33:42,527 --> 00:33:46,564
I think music,
for a lot of people...
443
00:33:47,787 --> 00:33:50,253
well, everyone, probably,
444
00:33:50,462 --> 00:33:54,299
is such a beautiful catalyst
between reality
445
00:33:54,299 --> 00:33:56,755
and the outer world
and the inner world,
446
00:33:56,755 --> 00:34:02,432
where you can actually make some
sort of a sense of it all.
447
00:34:03,062 --> 00:34:07,026
And, yeah, it's pretty abstract
where you can actually...
448
00:34:07,566 --> 00:34:09,630
There's room in music
for everything,
449
00:34:09,630 --> 00:34:15,713
for all these little bits that you
cannot fit into your everyday life.
450
00:34:17,172 --> 00:34:21,906
# Stirring at water's edge
451
00:34:21,929 --> 00:34:24,809
# Cold froth
452
00:34:25,179 --> 00:34:29,414
# On my twig
453
00:34:31,815 --> 00:34:35,637
# May I or should I
454
00:34:35,637 --> 00:34:38,447
# Or have I too often?
455
00:34:38,447 --> 00:34:41,656
# Craving miracles
456
00:34:41,804 --> 00:34:43,882
# May I... #
457
00:34:43,882 --> 00:34:45,337
In Thunderbolt,
458
00:34:45,337 --> 00:34:49,447
Björk has found a way of harnessing
the natural power of lightning.
459
00:34:49,753 --> 00:34:52,438
The electrical crackle
of the Tesla coil
460
00:34:52,559 --> 00:34:54,788
provides the bassline
for the song.
461
00:34:56,045 --> 00:35:01,772
# My romantic gene is dominant
462
00:35:01,772 --> 00:35:11,610
# And it hungers for union... #
463
00:35:12,581 --> 00:35:17,253
The performance brings nature,
music and technology together.
464
00:35:18,053 --> 00:35:22,036
Björk wants to develop a new kind
of music-making which is intuitive
465
00:35:22,036 --> 00:35:23,787
and accessible for everyone,
466
00:35:23,990 --> 00:35:27,547
and this is the ultimate aim
of the Biophilia project.
467
00:35:29,756 --> 00:35:33,064
# May I or should I
468
00:35:33,064 --> 00:35:35,756
# Or have I too often now
469
00:35:35,756 --> 00:35:38,474
# Craved miracles?
470
00:35:39,262 --> 00:35:43,464
# May I, should I
471
00:35:43,464 --> 00:35:47,144
# Or have I too often now
472
00:35:47,144 --> 00:35:49,201
# Craved miracles? #
473
00:35:49,201 --> 00:35:53,531
THUNDER AND LIGHTNING CRASHES
474
00:36:03,959 --> 00:36:07,842
Björk's Biophilia project is
driven by her desire to change
475
00:36:07,842 --> 00:36:09,871
the way we understand music.
476
00:36:10,423 --> 00:36:12,538
A desire that goes back to
her childhood
477
00:36:12,538 --> 00:36:14,758
and her classical musical education.
478
00:36:16,121 --> 00:36:18,918
Like when I was in music school
when I was a kid
479
00:36:19,034 --> 00:36:21,859
there were a lot of things
that rubbed me the wrong way.
480
00:36:22,811 --> 00:36:26,734
It was hard for me
to connect with being in Iceland
481
00:36:26,734 --> 00:36:30,222
and we were basically getting
curriculums from Europe based
482
00:36:30,222 --> 00:36:35,623
on 17th-century German classical music,
as much as I adore that,
483
00:36:35,623 --> 00:36:42,031
but at that time I wanted to... you know,
to connect more with Iceland.
484
00:36:42,031 --> 00:36:46,145
You know, and also just,
how it had become really academic
485
00:36:46,145 --> 00:36:48,478
and was removed from the physical.
486
00:36:52,297 --> 00:36:55,984
This academic approach to music
education can act as a barrier
487
00:36:55,984 --> 00:36:58,221
to people actually making music.
488
00:37:02,433 --> 00:37:07,008
With the music we have now,
there's something intimidating.
489
00:37:07,008 --> 00:37:12,121
You look at this,
at this page, what is that?
490
00:37:12,240 --> 00:37:15,728
Much more complicated than
a page of print.
491
00:37:15,760 --> 00:37:18,800
And you look at all these black
and white things.
492
00:37:19,167 --> 00:37:21,512
This is very intimidating.
493
00:37:21,649 --> 00:37:28,537
And if there was some way of drawing
anyone interacting with music
494
00:37:28,537 --> 00:37:33,740
or creating their own music,
I think that would be extraordinary.
495
00:37:38,537 --> 00:37:41,033
And this is the challenge
that Björk accepted.
496
00:37:41,033 --> 00:37:45,953
To find a way of using technology
to make playing music more intuitive.
497
00:37:47,172 --> 00:37:51,271
Her collaborator in this phase
is music engineer Damian Taylor.
498
00:37:52,462 --> 00:37:55,108
Early experiments went back
to basics.
499
00:37:55,295 --> 00:37:58,316
Instead of a keyboard,
he tried using a ball
500
00:37:58,882 --> 00:38:00,797
and even a cardboard box.
501
00:38:02,695 --> 00:38:06,170
The first physical control that
we used in the context of the project
502
00:38:06,170 --> 00:38:09,029
was this, which is
a $9 video game controller.
503
00:38:09,029 --> 00:38:12,544
It's definitely very interesting,
I think, to be able to give people
504
00:38:13,035 --> 00:38:15,676
something that generates music
that's not tied in with,
505
00:38:15,676 --> 00:38:17,996
in a way, the baggage of all
the instruments we've had around
506
00:38:17,996 --> 00:38:19,766
for hundreds of years
or their evolution.
507
00:38:21,816 --> 00:38:24,288
Björk's solution to the
challenge ultimately
508
00:38:24,288 --> 00:38:28,552
lay in the 21st-century revolution,
which came with touch screens.
509
00:38:30,944 --> 00:38:34,049
One of the exciting things
about touch screens -
510
00:38:34,365 --> 00:38:38,693
you could have the same
kind of relationship, spontaneous
511
00:38:38,693 --> 00:38:43,279
and instant,
as you would, say, to a tambourine.
512
00:38:44,463 --> 00:38:47,057
From this came the idea
to create something
513
00:38:47,057 --> 00:38:50,707
which might go beyond a traditional
album with numbered tracks.
514
00:38:51,568 --> 00:38:55,033
A new kind of simpler musical
notation was designed
515
00:38:55,184 --> 00:38:57,770
and each song would be
an interactive app
516
00:38:57,770 --> 00:39:00,255
that would reveal
a different musical principle.
517
00:39:02,791 --> 00:39:05,683
To create these apps, Björk is
working with some of the best
518
00:39:05,683 --> 00:39:08,102
computer programming minds
in the world.
519
00:39:08,120 --> 00:39:11,148
Like pioneering interactive
artist Scott Snibbe.
520
00:39:12,707 --> 00:39:17,014
What Björk wanted us to do was take
music from where it is now as,
521
00:39:17,014 --> 00:39:20,459
you know, mostly just as something
in your ears while you're walking,
522
00:39:20,459 --> 00:39:23,890
and turn it in to something full
sensory again.
523
00:39:26,715 --> 00:39:29,169
One of the most fascinating
things about having
524
00:39:29,169 --> 00:39:33,823
a touch screen for an electronic
musician is that now you can
525
00:39:33,823 --> 00:39:37,602
connect with more irregular rhythms
but it's still natural.
526
00:39:41,646 --> 00:39:46,100
So we made an app called Moon,
where you can just,
527
00:39:46,100 --> 00:39:50,901
with the stroke of a finger,
change the length of a sequence.
528
00:39:53,340 --> 00:39:57,174
You can change the kind of phase
of a pearl to change a note
529
00:39:57,174 --> 00:40:01,344
and you change the phase of the moon
to change how many notes
play back at once.
530
00:40:05,795 --> 00:40:09,019
And then you can choose
whether to accompany it to Björk's song
531
00:40:09,019 --> 00:40:11,660
or to just play it solo
as your own instrument.
532
00:40:17,047 --> 00:40:19,693
Björk is creating apps
that use our intuitive
533
00:40:19,693 --> 00:40:24,319
understanding of the natural world
to help explain musical principles.
534
00:40:26,866 --> 00:40:30,296
# The tectonic plates... #
535
00:40:30,296 --> 00:40:32,504
Mutual Core is about chords.
536
00:40:32,504 --> 00:40:35,731
I don't know if you noticed but
when you play around on the piano,
537
00:40:35,731 --> 00:40:39,856
you can put, like, two or
three fingers and make a chord.
538
00:40:41,436 --> 00:40:45,173
And I thought the best way
to sort of show the tension that
539
00:40:46,116 --> 00:40:51,594
can either arise or be relieved,
it would be best shown in strata.
540
00:40:54,486 --> 00:40:56,280
Maybe this is just me
coming from Iceland,
541
00:40:56,280 --> 00:40:59,198
thinking this is something
that everybody understands
542
00:40:59,198 --> 00:41:02,322
because it's in their everyday life.
543
00:41:03,350 --> 00:41:06,765
But you have different layers
of different types of rocks
544
00:41:07,049 --> 00:41:10,670
and then just a little pressure
away or together
545
00:41:11,019 --> 00:41:13,430
is going to change the tension.
546
00:41:16,072 --> 00:41:22,027
And this is sort of, for me,
is really similar how I experience
the difference of chords.
547
00:41:25,286 --> 00:41:29,512
I was mapping out how I can explain
in the most simple way to
548
00:41:29,512 --> 00:41:31,678
a kid about arpeggios.
549
00:41:32,180 --> 00:41:34,092
The most famous example
in pop music
550
00:41:34,092 --> 00:41:36,186
is probably I Feel Love
by Donna Summer.
551
00:41:36,883 --> 00:41:37,563
When you get the
552
00:41:37,563 --> 00:41:39,410
# Dugga dugga dugga dugga
dugga dugga dugga dug
553
00:41:39,410 --> 00:41:41,573
# Dugga dugga dugga dugga
dugga dugga dugga dugga. #
554
00:41:41,573 --> 00:41:45,335
And that's basically a chord,
if you play like a chord,
555
00:41:45,819 --> 00:41:47,344
but it's called broken chords,
556
00:41:47,344 --> 00:41:50,351
so you don't hear all the notes
at the same time.
557
00:41:50,534 --> 00:41:53,158
You would hear them first
the first one, then the second one,
558
00:41:53,158 --> 00:41:55,991
then the third one and again
and again and again.
559
00:41:57,024 --> 00:42:01,083
And the lightning would be a really
good way to teach about arpeggios.
560
00:42:02,107 --> 00:42:06,180
Thunderbolt is an app that's
actually more like an instrument.
561
00:42:06,550 --> 00:42:09,559
When you tap,
you create these electrical sparks.
562
00:42:10,105 --> 00:42:12,728
When you draw, you create these,
like, lightning drawings
563
00:42:12,728 --> 00:42:15,465
that have
beautiful lightning samples too.
564
00:42:17,076 --> 00:42:20,127
When you put down two fingers
and they're close together,
565
00:42:20,127 --> 00:42:22,140
it plays one
note over and over again.
566
00:42:22,452 --> 00:42:24,179
And then when you stretch
your fingers apart
567
00:42:24,179 --> 00:42:26,064
it plays two, three, four, five.
568
00:42:28,298 --> 00:42:32,627
And when you raise your fingers
you go faster, you increase the tempo.
569
00:42:32,627 --> 00:42:35,203
And when you lower your fingers
you go slower.
570
00:42:36,681 --> 00:42:39,460
By changing the visual representation,
you actually change
571
00:42:39,460 --> 00:42:42,715
the way people think about music
and the kind of music they create.
572
00:42:46,020 --> 00:42:49,387
Now Björk has found the technology
to realise her ambition,
573
00:42:49,549 --> 00:42:52,310
she has to find out
if people will engage with it.
574
00:42:53,155 --> 00:42:56,310
She starts by rolling out
a programme of music workshops
575
00:42:56,310 --> 00:42:58,036
for children
around the world.
576
00:42:59,575 --> 00:43:01,102
Here in Buenos Aires,
577
00:43:01,266 --> 00:43:05,165
a class learn about arpeggios
by playing the Tesla coil.
578
00:43:10,939 --> 00:43:14,051
I always thought I would run
a music school when I would grow up.
579
00:43:14,051 --> 00:43:17,073
You know, and then, just all these
other things kind of happened.
580
00:43:17,507 --> 00:43:21,139
And so, for me, this project is
sort of my music school.
581
00:43:21,570 --> 00:43:26,191
Her apps are now a standard part
of the music curriculum in Iceland.
582
00:43:27,294 --> 00:43:29,887
If one is actively
involved in music,
583
00:43:29,887 --> 00:43:33,295
then you do begin to get all
sorts of changes in the brain,
584
00:43:33,413 --> 00:43:37,816
which are also useful for purposes
outside music.
585
00:43:38,295 --> 00:43:41,711
And this at any age.
586
00:43:41,711 --> 00:43:45,970
Ideally it should be in childhood,
but it can happen later.
587
00:43:47,711 --> 00:43:52,575
And if you have massive involvement
in playing music,
588
00:43:52,575 --> 00:43:56,405
then many different parts of the brain
become enlarged.
589
00:44:04,080 --> 00:44:08,332
Björk's radical Biophilia project
was four years in the making.
590
00:44:10,280 --> 00:44:12,762
A year after premiering
in Manchester,
591
00:44:13,115 --> 00:44:16,554
Björk's tour
reaches the ancient city of Fes.
592
00:44:29,043 --> 00:44:31,632
# Heaven
593
00:44:31,683 --> 00:44:35,577
# Heaven's bodies
594
00:44:35,755 --> 00:44:39,646
# Whirl around me
595
00:44:39,683 --> 00:44:41,792
# Make me wonder... #
596
00:44:41,792 --> 00:44:44,842
Music unites one
to other people.
597
00:44:45,011 --> 00:44:47,488
You sing together,
you dance together,
598
00:44:47,488 --> 00:44:49,065
you drum together...
599
00:44:49,531 --> 00:44:54,277
..at a pre-verbal level,
at a very elemental level.
600
00:44:56,500 --> 00:44:59,273
'It is an essential part
of what makes us human.
601
00:44:59,492 --> 00:45:02,206
'And it has something very profound,
602
00:45:02,206 --> 00:45:05,536
'it produces a very profound
reaction in us all.'
603
00:45:05,809 --> 00:45:11,419
It is one of the strands which
enable you to build relationships
604
00:45:11,768 --> 00:45:16,303
and to actually
to live with yourself too.
605
00:45:16,888 --> 00:45:19,678
# Heaven
606
00:45:19,877 --> 00:45:23,456
# Heaven's bodies
607
00:45:23,799 --> 00:45:27,318
# Whirl around me
608
00:45:27,841 --> 00:45:32,169
# Make me wonder
609
00:45:32,169 --> 00:45:35,150
# And they say back then... #
610
00:45:35,150 --> 00:45:39,674
Music, like all art,
has this deathless quality
611
00:45:40,754 --> 00:45:42,774
and can remove one
612
00:45:42,774 --> 00:45:47,631
from what otherwise is
the sphere of thinking biologically.
613
00:45:47,846 --> 00:45:51,538
I do very much now. In my 80th year,
I'm falling apart.
614
00:45:51,708 --> 00:45:53,909
This is failing, that's failing,
615
00:45:53,909 --> 00:45:57,806
but the music is as good
as it ever was.
616
00:45:58,155 --> 00:45:59,653
In fact possibly better.
617
00:46:00,135 --> 00:46:04,125
# ..We know
618
00:46:04,781 --> 00:46:07,809
# Heaven
619
00:46:07,809 --> 00:46:11,561
# Heaven's bodies
620
00:46:11,747 --> 00:46:15,329
# Whirl around me
621
00:46:15,682 --> 00:46:19,841
# Make me wonder... #
622
00:46:19,841 --> 00:46:24,580
Music, to be most rewarding,
actually does require work,
623
00:46:24,580 --> 00:46:28,208
does require concentration,
does require thought,
624
00:46:28,546 --> 00:46:31,872
which is why your music is
so challenging, because...
625
00:46:32,043 --> 00:46:34,866
Well, because it does require thought.
And it's...
626
00:46:35,418 --> 00:46:38,513
So much of what you do
is completely new,
627
00:46:39,047 --> 00:46:41,171
hasn't been done by people before.
628
00:46:41,334 --> 00:46:42,895
And that's what's
challenging about it,
629
00:46:42,895 --> 00:46:45,142
so if you're very tired,
630
00:46:45,265 --> 00:46:49,970
I don't suggest that I put on... If I'm very
tired I don't put on your music.
631
00:46:50,107 --> 00:46:53,746
I put on your music when I want to
really think about something.
632
00:46:54,623 --> 00:46:58,633
Well thank you, that's, uh...
I'll take that as a compliment.
633
00:46:58,633 --> 00:46:59,516
It's meant as.
634
00:46:59,516 --> 00:47:00,682
THEY LAUGH
635
00:47:04,321 --> 00:47:07,265
# Heaven
636
00:47:07,265 --> 00:47:11,138
# Heaven's bodies
637
00:47:11,342 --> 00:47:14,851
# Whirl around me
638
00:47:15,058 --> 00:47:18,613
# And dance eternal. #
639
00:47:26,281 --> 00:47:29,001
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