Sunday, July 28, 2013
When Bjork Met Attenborough, Channel 4, review
The documentary When Björk Met Attenborough (Channel 4) 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 basis of the programme was Biophilia, Björk's ambitious project to show how music mimics nature and to find new ways to reflect this in her art – while selling a few records in the process. At least, I think that's what it's all about. The whole idea was tantalisingly tangled.
In fact, any single aspect of Biophilia would have made for a fascinating documentary in its own right: from Sir David Attenborough, a fan of music in general and Björk in particular, musing on the evolutionary role of singing; to the design of a new kind of musical app; to a mind-boggling experiment showing grains of sand jumping into intricate patterns as they vibrate to different frequencies.
There was even a touching interlude with Oliver Sacks, the 80-year-old neurologist, who said that music had "a deathless quality" and lit up the brain like nothing else. In fact, this programme had a soothing message for those facing up to advancing years: that for Sacks, music sounds better in your ninth decade, and that for Björk, middle age is no impediment to wearing platform shoes and a giant ginger afro wig.
Aesthetically, at least, the documentary had a certain consistency. 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.
Source : http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/568414/s/2f3ceda7/sc/9/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Cculture0Ctvandradio0C10A20A53450CWhen0EBjork0EMet0EAttenborough0EChannel0E40Ereview0Bhtml/story01.htm
