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Bjork goes VR
In her latest music video, Icelandic singer Bjork has broken new ground...again. When viewed on a tablet or smartphone, the video for Stonemilker, off her latest album, Vulnicura, is in Virtual Reality.
The viewer is standing on the shore of an Icelandic beach with the elfin musician on a grey, gloomy day. Off to the right, a lighthouse stands alone in the distance. As Bjork begins to sing, the viewer is free to look around, explore, watch the waves as they hit the shore. You can look back at Bjork any time as she emotes in a flowing green dress, her hair flowing in the breeze. Eventually, she breaks into a few Bjorks and surrounds the viewer, all singing the same song simultaneously before fading back into Bjork Prime and leaving the viewer on the shoreline.
The video is beautiful, as are all of her works. The song is run-of-the-mill Bjork, which I happen to enjoy greatly. But most importantly, the video uses groundbreaking technology to add a new dimension (no pun intended) to online video. YouTube has been experimenting with this technology and this is the first major piece to utilize it. When seen on a smartphone, the viewer can just aim the phone. It is an automatic process. On my Android tablet, I had to physically touch and drag the screen to change my POV.. It lessened the effect, but not enough for me not to recommend it.
Overall, this is the opening shot in a new world of immersive video, brought to us by one of the most imaginative and forward-looking artists in the world.
Brava, Bjork. Brava.
Here is the video. But please view on phone or tablet.
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