To fans, Bjork's latest endeavor might seem like something completely in the swan dress-wearing Icelandic superstar's avant-garde wheelhouse, but in a way, it might be her most accessible endeavor yet — by downloadable standards, that is.
The monomymously named singer-songwriter has publicly released a music video for her latest single, "Stonemilker," from her 2015 album Vulnicura, filmed with a 360-degree camera and all accessible with a simple app. Even better? Fans can purchase the virtual reality (VR) iOS app for a personal, immersive 3D experience, enhanced with the use of a simple, compatible VR headset.
The first version of "Stonemilker" premiered back in March 2015 at MoMA PS1 in Manhattan as part of a Bjork retrospective. For $5 to $10, attendees could watch the experimental music artist ululate and wander around a stormy, rocky shoreline in the museum's panoramic VW Dome. Directed by Andrew Thomas Huang, the then-installation "[explored] the potential for Virtual Reality as a performance platform outside the scope of a traditional music video," according to MoMA's website.
In an interview with Pitchfork, Bjork revealed that the beach setting of the music video (Grótta, which is just northwest of Iceland's capital Reykjavik) was where she penned "Stonemilk," and relayed how the nature of the 360-degree VR video was centrifugal to the meaning of the song itself:
"[The] location has a beautiful 360 panoramic view which matches the cyclical fugue-like movement in the song ... if the song has a shape it is sort of like a circle that just goes on forever. [...] so as you watch this in the virtual reality headset it will be as if you are on that beach and with the 30 players sitting in a circle tightly around you."
The exhibit finished its run on May 17.
The app, which is downloadable through iTunes, is supposed to offer the same caliber of cinematic experience, all made possible by a recommended VR headset (suited for Cardboard, Freefly or VR One), which the iTunes app description described as a "magic window."
For those who'd rather watch the 360-degree video sans headset, "Stonemilker" is also available to view for free on YouTube. Otherwise, you can download the app for $2.99 for iPhone 5 and iPhone 6. As of now, the app is not compatible with Android.
Get a glimpse of Bjork's "Stonemilker" VR music video in the clip below.
Via: The Next Web
Source: Bjork: "Stonemilker" VR | iTunes
