In her new music video, world-renowned art-pop techno star Björk creates a fantastical world of fungus. Following the release of her Grammy-nominated 10th studio album, “fossora,” in September 2022, the musical artist co-directed the title track’s visual alongside videographer Vidar Logi, art agency M/M (Paris), and creative studio FutureDeluxe.
A word created by Björk, “fossora” is derived from the feminine version of the Latin term for “digger.” It’s a reflection on establishing roots, embracing love and family, and settling into earthly groundedness. And these themes are represented in the psychedelic world that the artist builds in the “fossora” video, although where their symbolisms lie may be up to wider interpretation.
A pulsating background of earth-toned spores seems to dance to the rhythm of the music, mimicking Björk as she increases the track’s energy. Meanwhile, her accompanying band of wind instrumentals, comprised of clarinet sextet Murmuri and Kasimyn of Gabber Modus Operandi, hover mid-air, rotating around the singer as she belts out her hypnotic lyrics. From the color coordination to the Willy Wonka-esque costume design, “fossora” constructs a subterranean land where a dreamlike fantasy comes to life.
Despite the murky visuals, Björk’s lyrics maintain the spirited optimism that’s characteristic of her discography, paired with an avant-garde flair that only becomes more prominent with every new release. In the subversive shroom-scape she dances in, the artist expresses a hopefulness for growth, delivered through an entrenchment with Earth’s most primordial organisms. “Her fossorial claw digs downwards, dissolves old pain,” she sings. “Degrades sorrows, hair and hooves.”
Named amongst the New York Times’ and Pitchfork’s Best Albums of 2022, “fossora” is currently being performed in cities around the world as Björk continues her Cornucopia Tour, which recently made a stop at Australia’s Perth Festival and in Kobe and Tokyo, Japan. In just a few weeks, she’ll grace the stage at Coachella in Indio, California on April 16 and 23. After, she’ll return to her native Iceland for three June dates before embarking on the tour’s European leg through the fall.
Björk is a multidisciplinary artist with a vision for innovation across music, art, fashion, and technology. From writing, arranging, and producing a music catalogue that ranges from alternative rock to otherworldly techno to her collaborations with scientists, app developers, and instrument makers, she has long mastered her flair for the experimental. Even after more than three decades of creating, she continues to redefine the boundaries of what it means to be a contemporary musician.
