When

20 Nov – 9 Dec 2024
11am – 9pm, every days except tuesdays

Where

Centre Pompidou, Paris, France.

Last October, a newly discovered butterfly species on the U.S. East Coast was named Pterourus bjorkae in honor of Icelandic singer Björk. This tribute reflects her longstanding advocacy for biodiversity and her unique artistic vision that bridges nature and technology.

Björk’s environmental commitment recently took center stage with Nature Manifesto, a powerful sound installation created for the Centre Pompidou with artist and curator Aleph. The installation, resounding through the museum’s iconic exterior escalators, combines her voice reading a manifesto with the haunting calls of extinct and endangered animals. Developed in collaboration with the Institut de recherche et coordination acoustique/musique (Ircam) and AI models, the piece immerses listeners in a soundscape of ecological urgency.

This evocative work challenges us to rethink humanity’s role in preserving life on Earth. For Björk, the future is not a post-apocalyptic wasteland but an era of “post-optimism,” where humans and nature evolve together. Through this lens, Nature Manifesto becomes both a call to action and a reminder of the resilience found in interconnected ecosystems.

The naming of Pterourus bjorkae and installations like Nature Manifesto underscore Björk’s ability to inspire a deeper connection to the natural world. As art and ecology converge, her work urges us to listen to nature’s voice and take meaningful steps toward preserving its fragile beauty.