When Björk Met Attenborough

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When Björk Met Attenborough
One Little Indian Records
Original release
NetworkChannel 4
Release27 July 2013 (2013-07-27)

When Björk Met Attenborough is a 2013 documentary television film directed by Louise Hooper, executive produced by Lucas Ochoa and produced by Caroline Page. It was aired for the first time on 27 July 2013 on

naturalist David Attenborough. They discuss the nature of music and the intersection between music, nature and technology. It also follows the singer as she prepares for her Biophilia tour
, along with rehearsal and studio recording.

The documentary was inspired by the singer's eighth

neurologist Oliver Sacks
, who talks about the effect of music on the brain.

Despite the low ratings, the show received positive to moderate reviews from critics, who applauded the content of the documentary but, in some cases, criticised the interaction between Attenborough and Björk, which was considered "awkward" and "unlikely". The documentary was released on DVD and

Blu-ray
on 5 May 2014.

Cast

In order of appearance:

Background and release

When Björk Met Attenborough
Video by
Björk
Released5 May 2014 (2014-05-05)
Björk chronology
Later with Jools Holland 1995–2011

(2012) 		When Björk Met Attenborough
(2014) 		Björk: Biophilia Live
(2014)

When the

neurologist Oliver Sacks was also reported to appear in the documentary, explaining "the extraordinary and beneficial effects music has on our brains".[5] The documentary, made by the company Pulse Films, is the first time the British television channel and the company had collaborated.[4]
It was directed by Louise Hooper and executive produced by Lucas Ochoa, who commented about the project:

"Born from Bjork's revolutionary music project we are thrilled to be able to document this incredible journey with her; she is undeniably one of the most iconic figures in popular culture and truly pushes boundaries like no other artist does."[4]

The English

naturalist had previously provided the spoken introduction for the live shows and the apps.[3] The two had long admired each other's works.[6] In an interview with Rolling Stone, Björk had confessed that, when she was a kid, she considered Attenborough her "rock star".[7] Attenborough stated that the singer "is really quite enchanting" and called her "honey" during the filming, reportedly because he could not pronounce her name properly.[6][8] Björk stated about the experience of the filming with Attenborough: "He would close off and take in whatever I was saying, and then just come out with the most beautifully formed sentences you ever heard".[9] Director Hooper, whose father John had filmed Attenborough in different documentaries settled in Papua New Guinea, Mali and the Amazon rainforest
, had stated:

"There is an unexpected chemistry and fun between these two unique characters. They are both icons of their own separate worlds of music and nature, and both excited and curious to explore how these two worlds come together. Seeing Bjork and Sir David laughing and engaging with each other on screen is simply magical, it was fascinating to have the chance to bring Sir David and Bjork together for the first time on television. They were both great fun to work with; Bjork fizzing with ideas for the film and Sir David bringing his passion and knowledge".[6]

The documentary was scheduled to air during November 2012 and to see a later limited cinema release in an extended cut.[10] As of November 2012, the documentary was still in the editing.[9] In June 2013, it was reported that the documentary would have its worldwide premiere at the Cortona Mix Festival in Italy.[11] The festival then cancelled the projection. The documentary first aired on Channel 4 on 27 July 2013 as part of a series of documentaries called Mad4Music, now titled When Björk Met Attenborough.[12]

When a

Blu-ray.[15][16] Before the release of the DVD, the documentary was shown for three nights at the MK2 Grand Palais in Paris,[17] and it was also shown during the We Love Green festival.[18]

Synopsis

In the documentary, music in nature is explained through the help of examples like the Lyrebird (left) and the Gibbon (right).

The documentary opens with an introduction by

troubadors, and that is why is so relatable to young people and animals, i.e. the gibbons
, which mate by singing together out of excitement. Attenborough affirms that "the mystery is how music has been used by humanity for something that is transcendental".

Footage from another rehearsal with the choir singing "Dark Matter" are shown before shifting to the encounter between Björk and Henry Dagg in a metal workshop. Dagg had created the Sharpsichord, a

time signatures of the verses and the chorus of "Crystalline" and compares the composition of a crystal to that of a song. Scenes from the choir recording parts of "Crystalline" guided by Biophilia musical director Matt Robertson are shown. Attenborough thinks that the beauty of mathematics can be heard in composition like the "Fugue 5" by Johann Sebastian Bach. Swinton tells how universe is made of patterns which are present in music but that we can't visualise, and how Björk wants to change that. Because of that, the singer collaborates with Evan Grant, who works with cymatics. Grant explains how the Chladni plate works, and that he appreciates how Björk tries to bring a real meaning in her music by taking a "scientific and realistic approach" to it. Grant tries to use cymatics on water for "Crystalline", which results can be seen in the music video for the song (directed by Michel Gondry
).

Swinton explains how Björk's aim is to bring nature on stage for the

basslines (she hums a bassline of a composition by John Tavener
as she says so).

Neurologist Oliver Sacks (left) provides multiple insights of the relation between human brain and behaviours and music, while media artist Scott Snibbe (right) explains the apps included on the Biophilia album.

One of the major inspiration of the project itself,

neurologist Oliver Sacks, who Björk define as the "David Attenborough of the brain", lists the benefits music has on human and explains how when a human listens to music every part of the brain gets involved. This is very useful to people who suffers from dementia, who need evocative music which can help them in building a bridge to their past. Scenes from a nursing home
, in which various patients with dementia are shown to benefit from different music played to them, accompany Sacks' speech. He affirms that the music expresses something that language can't.

Scenes from the first performance of Biophilia are shown. David Attenborough's intro, which accompany the show, is partially heard, while Björk affirms that music is a

touch screen the singer compares to a tambourine for its being spontaneous and instinctive. By developing this idea, she decides to make a different format of album, made with apps. She works with interactive media artist Scott Snibbe
, who states that her aim is the turn music "into something full sensory".

Björk explains some of the apps that are part of the album, like "Moon", which app deals with

Fes, Morocco, during which Björk is seen performing "Cosmogony
". Sacks finally states that "music unify people at an elementary level". The documentary ends with a final conversation between Björk and Attenborough, in which the naturalist affirms:

"Music, to be most rewarding, [...] does require work, and does require concentration, does require thought, which is why your music is so challenging, because it does require thought. So much of what you do, is completely new, [and] hasn't been done by people before, and that's what's challenging about that. So, if you're very tired, I don't suggest that they put on your music. I put on your music when I really want to think about something."

To which Björk blushes, and then the pair laugh together. The end credits roll to "Cosmogony" in the background.

Reception

Critical reviews

The documentary received moderately positive reviews. According to Ceri Radford of The Telegraph, who gave the documentary 4 stars out of 5, "the documentary brought together the revered naturalist and the swan-donning Icelandic singer for an inspiring if at times confusing symposium on the relationship between music, technology and the natural world". The journalist praised Biophilia by affirming that "the whole idea was tantalisingly tangled" and that "any single aspect of Biophilia would have made for a fascinating documentary in its own right", while defining the parts with Oliver Sacks "touching" and concluding "from footage of spinning stars to shoals of fish to the snow-speckled hills above Reykjavík, from the sound of crackling electricity to Björk's soaring voice, there was a dreamy and unsettling evocation of awe. It might not all have made sense, but it was a delight to the senses."[19] Jordan Morgan of Tomorrow's News defined the couple "the most unlikely expectations of collaborations" but goes on by stating "When Bjork met David Attenborough is a fascinating, albeit slightly confusing, documentary that joins the translucent dots between humans, nature and music and provides for an extremely informative learning lesson, [...] as well as creating something new to hear, Björk also sets out to create a visual image for what people are hearing, adding another dimension to what you hear".[20] Sam Wollaston of The Guardian wrote that, although he "[doesn't] always totally understand what she's on about, [...] the bits with David Attenborough at the Natural History Museum are lovely", and later compared their interaction to "an old man showing his granddaughter round his favourite place in the world" but found Björk "a little bit shy with him" and "grand-daughterly".[21] Caitlin Moran of The Times called the duo "a proper super-hero pairing".[22] Ian Cross, professor of music and science of the University of Cambridge, commented about the documentary: "if there has to be something about music on television on a Saturday evening, I'd rather hear the views of Björk and David Attenborough than those of the music hedge fund manager Simon Cowell".[23]

Mike Higgins, who gave the show 2 stars out of 5, writing on The Independent, billed the encounter as "awkward" and gave a negative review of the documentary, finding it "[not] much more than a promo for Björk's last album, Biophilia, and its tour" and further stating: "The 87-year-old doesn't so much speak in complete paragraphs as lectures in complete chapters. In their conversations – on crystallography, the power of the human larynx, et al – Attenborough was in transmit mode, jabbing away with his index finger. All Björk could do was chip in now and then, in her Reykjavík by way of south London accent. When the big man let rip on the notion that all "song" in the natural word is about sex, and so, therefore, is popular music, Björk reacted as we all did, I suspect, and looked a bit embarrassed."[24]

Ratings

The documentary pulled 528,000 viewers during its original outing at 7 p.m. with a viewing share of 3.15%. It failed to match Channel 4 average slot score of 864,000 viewers and 4.11% share for the previous 12 months. It got beaten by a rerun of the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony on BBC Three, which got 825,000 viewers with an average share of 4.5%.[25]

References

  1. ^ "Björk "Biophilia" App Now Available on App Store; Album, Out September 27, Now Available for Pre-Order in Nonesuch Store". Nonesuch. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  2. ^ Michaels, Sean (2 August 2012). "Björk and David Attenborough team up for music documentary". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Bjork and David Attenborough team up for music documentary". NME. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  4. ^ a b c skemp (1 August 2012). "Bjork and David Attenborough Documentary Headed to U.K. Television". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  5. ^ Ritchie, Kevin. "Attenborough, Bjork team up for C4 doc". Real screen. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  6. ^ a b c Rampton, James (20 July 2013). "The strangest pals in showbiz: When Sir David met Bjork..." Express. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  7. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (29 June 2011). "Bjork Unveils Multimedia 'Biophilia' Project". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  8. ^ Carroll, Grace. "David Attenborough reveals he calls friend Bjork 'honey'". Gigwise. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  9. ^ a b Mackay, Emily (16 November 2012). "Exclusive interview: The mistress of reinvention Björk remixes herself yet again (for her new album called... Bastards)". The Independent. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  10. ^ Battan, Carrie (2 August 2012). "Björk and David Attenborough Team Up for Documentary Film About Music and Technology". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  11. ^ "Cortona Mix Festival 2013". Feltrinelli Editore (in Italian). Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  12. ^ "When Bjork Met Attenborough". Channel 4. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  13. ^ "Björk: Biophilia App for Android and Windows 8 (Canceled) by Björk — Kickstarter". Kickstarter. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  14. ^ Dredge, Stuart (8 February 2013). "Björk cancels Kickstarter campaign for Biophilia Android and Windows 8 app". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  15. ^ "björk/attenborough dvd now available for pre-order". bjork.com. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  16. ^ Reed, Ryan (26 March 2014). "'When Bjork Met Attenborough' Set for May DVD Release". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  17. ^ "Documentaire sur Björk au cinéma " The Nature of Music "". popingays.com. PopinGays. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  18. ^ Bontemps-Terry, Nina (17 May 2014). ""When Björk met Attenborough", la révolution musicale de Björk". Le Point. Le Point.fr. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  19. ^ Radford, Ceri (27 July 2013). "When Bjork Met Attenborough, Channel 4, review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  20. ^ Morgan, Jordan. "WHEN BJORK MET ATTENBOROUGH – Nature Meets Music!". Tomorrow's News. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  21. ^ Wollaston, Sam (29 July 2013). "The Mill; When Björk Met Attenborough – TV review". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  22. ^ Moran, Caitlin (4 August 2013). "Caitlin Moran: Björk and Attenborough — Now that's a proper super-hero pairing". The Times. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  23. ^ Morrison, Sarah (26 July 2013). "When Björk Met Attenborough: The Icelandic punk, the national treasure and a display of rather remarkable human behaviour". The Independent. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  24. ^ Higgins, Mike (29 July 2014). "TV review: When Björk met Atttenborough – Sir David and the greater-crested Icelandic punk". The Independent. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  25. ^ Kanter, Jake (29 July 2013). "Olympic ceremony repeat beats Björk & Attenborough". Broadcast. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
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