Björk's Pagan Poetry Performance: A Powerful Journey into Nature and Spirituality

Bjork's performance of her song "Pagan Poetry" on screen is a visually stunning and emotionally captivating experience. The use of innovative technology and powerful imagery creates a unique and immersive performance that brings the song to life in a whole new way. One of the standout elements of Bjork's on screen performance of "Pagan Poetry" is the use of projection mapping. This technique allows for the projection of images and videos onto non-flat surfaces, creating a multidimensional and dynamic visual display. In the case of "Pagan Poetry," projection mapping is used to project images onto Bjork's body as she performs, creating a fusion of her physical presence with abstract imagery. This combination of real and projected visuals adds depth and complexity to the performance, enhancing the overall impact of the song.

Two video sequences in Cornucopia articulated Björk’s views on climate action. The first used a scrolling text message to suggest new realms of thinking: “We have to imagine something that doesn’t exist… let’s imagine a world where nature and technology collaborate and make a song about it, a musical mockup, and then move into it.”

A fringed curtain was used to add layers to the visual projections, which used rich blues, greens, pinks and purples to create electro-nature imagery. These experiences gave me overall support and confidence as a music chronicler and are among the most important of my career, so if you re reading, thank you for all of your work and for what you mean to me, Björk.

This combination of real and projected visuals adds depth and complexity to the performance, enhancing the overall impact of the song. Another notable aspect of Bjork's on screen performance is the use of avant-garde and symbolic imagery. The visuals presented during "Pagan Poetry" are often abstract and surreal, featuring depictions of body parts, nature, and religious symbols.

Review: To change the world, Björk urged us to imagine the nonexistent

Taking in 'Cornucopia,' the Icelandic artist’s first Bay Area performance spectacle in nine years.

Björk chose Los Angeles and San Francisco as the only American stops to present her long-anticipated Cornucopia tour, which first started in 2019. The local leg began at the Chase Center on Saturday, with a second date to come Tue/8.

Her 19-song performance included most of the songs from her last album, 2017’s Utopia, plus vividly reimagined arrangements of “Venus As a Boy” (from 1993’s Debut), “Isobel” (from 1995’s Post), “Hidden Place” and “Pagan Poetry” (both from 2001’s Vespertine). Bringing Björk’s visions to life were collaborators like Tonality, a choral group from LA; Viibra, her all-woman Icelandic flute septet; and serpentwithfeet, an incredible singer and artist from New York who appeared onstage to sing “Blissing Me” with her. Acoustics and electronics effortlessly intertwined—no guitars, but plenty of water drums and harp instead.

Los Angeles choral group Tonality sings in Björk’s Cornucopia. Photo by Santiago Felipe

She wore one exquisitely strapped, poofed and tall booted outfit for most of the night, favoring a mask over her eyes as she has in performances for the last several years. Her sheer vocal power filled the arena and kept the crowd arrested in a rare and polite awe. A fringed curtain was used to add layers to the visual projections, which used rich blues, greens, pinks and purples to create electro-nature imagery. People around me were crying at the gorgeousness of it all.

Two video sequences in Cornucopia articulated Björk’s views on climate action. The first used a scrolling text message to suggest new realms of thinking: “We have to imagine something that doesn’t exist… let’s imagine a world where nature and technology collaborate and make a song about it, a musical mockup, and then move into it.”

Later, a video from 19-year-old Swedish climate activist/rock star Greta Thunberg played while Björk gave us a costume change into an antennaed, leafy, and floral feature creature.

“Know that you are never too small to make a difference,” Thunberg said. “If a few kids can make headlines all over the world just by not going to school, imagine what we could all do together if we really wanted to. But to do that, we have to speak clearly, no matter how uncomfortable that may be…

“The adults are not mature enough to tell it like it is; even that burden is left to us children,” she continued. “But I don’t care about being unpopular. I care about climate justice and the living planet.”

Thunberg’s interlude preceded a two-song encore (“Future Forever” from Utopia and “Notget” from 2015’s Vulnicura) and continues the conversation presented in Björk’s last Bay Area appearance in 2013 inside the historic Craneway Pavilion in Richmond. That live performance, in support of 2011’s Biophilia album, began with a recording from the distinguished English natural historian Sir David Attenborough. She always sings the body electric to show how everything is connected.

Help us save local journalism!

Every tax-deductible donation helps us grow to cover the issues that mean the most to our community. Become a 48 Hills Hero and support the only daily progressive news source in the Bay Area.

“I like extremes, I guess,” Björk told me in an interview conducted at the Empire Diner in New York City in 2001. “Very raw acoustic things and then very pure electronic beats. To me, electricity comes from nature. Like acupuncture — something several thousand years old triggers the electricity that’s inside us within our nervous system.”

“I think it’s important to stay on your toes and keep discovering what music is,” she said three years later while walking across a canal in Venice, Italy and talking to me in San Francisco via a mobile phone. “Music isn’t one thing — it isn’t a harp and it isn’t a virgin singing somewhere. Or it isn’t a rock band. It’s not about the circumstances or the setup, it’s about the heart of the music, and it’s important that people don’t forget that.”

I’ve been writing about Björk since we were both in our 20s and was blessed with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interview her not just once, but three times in order to write magazine cover stories. I’ve caught most of her post-Sugarcubes local appearances, including a guest spot with UK techno heroes 808 State at the legendary Club DV8 in San Francisco in 1991, and have traveled to see many of her Stateside appearances, including an abandoned post office DJ gig in Houston in 2016.

These experiences gave me overall support and confidence as a music chronicler and are among the most important of my career, so if you’re reading, thank you for all of your work and for what you mean to me, Björk! You’re right, it was worth the risk to see Cornucopia, as you discussed with the Chronicle’s Aidin Vaziri before the show.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure it was a good idea to attend beforehand. I had been skittish about going to such a large indoor event and had already lost money by not using tickets to see the first Cornucopia performances at the Shrine in Los Angeles. However, the audience was seated, calmly rapt, and encouraged to put their phones away, so it didn’t feel crazy to be in such a big venue.

One handy tip I learned that may be useful at least for ballers to know is that if you make reservations to eat at Tyler Florence’s exquisite new Miller & Lux restaurant beforehand, you can enter the venue directly from a back door and avoid all the crowds entering the Chase Center. That meant forgoing my usual concert pastime of people-watching, but that was the price for baby-stepping back to the world of big concerts.

Aside from the man in my row who apparently still hasn’t gotten the memo that masks are supposed to go over his dick-nose, the Chase Center and its breezy HEPA-filtered air felt safe enough to me. If you’ve been on the fence about catching the second Cornucopia performance at Chase Center on Tue/8, consider this a nudge from the nosebleeds to check it out.

Javascript is required to view shouts on this page. Go directly to shout page

These images serve to convey the themes and emotions of the song, as well as Bjork's personal artistic expression. The use of symbolism adds layers of meaning to the performance, allowing the audience to interpret the visuals in their own way and connect with the song on a deeper level. The emotional intensity of Bjork's performance is also worth mentioning. As she sings the haunting and passionate lyrics of "Pagan Poetry," her physicality and facial expressions reflect the raw emotion of the song. This, combined with the powerful visuals, creates a visceral and immersive experience for the audience. The performance of "Pagan Poetry" becomes more than just a song, but a raw and cathartic expression of human emotion. In conclusion, Bjork's on screen performance of "Pagan Poetry" is a visually stunning and emotionally captivating experience. The combination of projection mapping, avant-garde imagery, and intense emotion creates a unique and compelling performance that elevates the song to new heights. This performance showcases Bjork's innovative and boundary-pushing approach to music and performance, solidifying her status as a true artistic visionary..

Reviews for "Björk's Pagan Poetry: A Celebration of Nature and Female Empowerment"

1. Jane - 2/5 - I was really looking forward to watching Bjork's performance of "Pagan Poetry" on screen, but I ended up feeling disappointed. The visuals were incredibly bizarre and abstract, making it difficult for me to connect with the music. I felt like I was watching a strange avant-garde art installation rather than a music video. While I appreciate Bjork's unique style, I found this particular performance to be too outlandish and inaccessible.

2. Mark - 1/5 - I couldn't understand what was going on in Bjork's "Pagan Poetry" on-screen performance. The imagery was confusing and appeared to have no connection to the lyrics or the overall theme of the song. This lack of cohesion made it impossible for me to enjoy the performance. I expected more from Bjork, who is known for her creative and thought-provoking music videos, but this one fell short of my expectations.

3. Emily - 2/5 - Bjork's "Pagan Poetry" on-screen performance was nothing short of a visual assault. The constant flashing lights and strange camera angles were too overwhelming for my liking. I found it hard to focus on the music itself and ended up feeling quite disoriented after watching it. While I understand that Bjork is known for pushing boundaries, I feel like this performance went too far and sacrificed the viewer's overall experience.

4. Michael - 2/5 - I am usually a fan of Bjork's work, but I found her "Pagan Poetry" on-screen performance to be too abstract and detached from reality. The strange and surreal visuals did not resonate with me, and I struggled to find any meaning or connection to the music. It felt like an experiment gone wrong, and left me feeling confused rather than captivated. Overall, this performance was not my cup of tea.

Björk's Pagan Poetry: A Sensory Experience of Sound and Visuals