Björk Digital Opens At Somerset House

You've ticked off the Taj Mahal, the beaches of Bali and the Great Wall of China, but have you ever ventured into the mouth of Iceland's most famous musical export? Well, as of tomorrow  [Thursday 1 September], you can add that to your travel bucket list...

Mouthmantra, a graphic VR experience capturing Björk's teeth, tongue and tonsils while she sings, is just one of the - quite literally - jaw-dropping projects on show at London's Somerset House, which is hosting the European premiere of Björk Digital, an interactive exhibition of the artist's extensive video-and-tech oeuvre.

The major draw is a series of virtual reality experiences, created for tracks taken from Björk's world-first VR 'album' Vulnicura, which visitors can try out via the Vive headsets provided. Highlights include the Andrew Thomas Huang-directed immersive film Black Lake, as well as Stonemilker VR [below], an intimate concert on a windswept Icelandic beach created in collaboration with REWIND - the London-based VR specialists who were also behind Notget VR [top image], which sees the singer reimagined as a dazzling projection of dancing light particles. 

An 'interactive educational space', complete with iPads is also promised, where you can get to grips with Biophilia, Björk's 'hybrid educational app and music album' featuring interactive graphics, animations and musical scoring - incidentally, the first app to make it into MoMA New York's permanent collection.

With all this pioneering tech on display, it's easy to forget the brilliance of Björk's earlier music videos, directed by the award-winning likes of Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze - so be sure to visit the cinema room, which will be screening her entire body of video work from the past 24 years, including some never-seen-before footage.

Björk Digital runs from 1 September - 23 October at the New Wing, Somerset House, London (somersethouse.org.uk). For more VR coverage, don't miss shots issue 166 - our inaugural Tech special.