Bjork, an artist that is known for creating “unique” music, released a new album entitled “Biophilia”. In a jazz ensemble that I performed with in High School, I played an arrangement of one of Bjork’s songs. Even though it was heavily influenced by pop–which is not my genre of preference–I have to admit that it was intriguing and fun to play. Her newest album, though, sets itself apart from other albums with more than just her style of music. Available for Ipad only, there is an app that syncs with her album and allows the user to interact with the music. There are various methods of doing this, ranging from just playing games to the music, to changing the way the music sounds by tapping the screen. For a more in-depth description, Seth Schiesel goes through how the mechanics work in the attached article.
This idea of combining music with video games has been something that I have always wanted to seen done properly. Imagine a video game that has music written by a virtuoso musician (and no, I am not referring to Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber), graphics and video animated by top quality producers, and dialogue that is truly brought to life by the voice-actors. If this were to be accomplished, I would say that it could prove video games could be a valid art form. However, Bjork has diluted the importance of both the video games and the music with her newest album. Instead of paying full attention to the music, the audience can now be distracted by cheaply made games for a mobile device. Does tapping a screen–and by doing so, altering the sound effects of a song–really enhance the experience of listening to music? While it may be innovative, and thus have commercial appeal, I really don’t believe it has any artistic benefit.
clickBiophilia
Here is another example of a theme I see running through quite a few posts: how does the art engage the viewer? The line between performer/creator and observer/participant seems to be one that artists of many different genres are trying to redefine. The connectedness of the computer and the internet is a natural area for this kind of thing to develop. thanks for bringing Bjork’s iPad album into the discussion. Very interesting.
Bjork definitely has pushed the listener’s experience with her new interactive album. However, I question Bjork’s true intentions in creating this musical adventure. I am very skeptical of artists who try to push the envelope and create groundbreaking, bizarre productions, claiming they are trying to design a unique experience for their audience. Majority of them only want to be able to sell themselves as innovative and “cool” to make more money. Artists like Lady Gaga pride themselves on their insane theatrics, trying to break the mold to attract the most listeners and, in turn, the most profit. But is wearing a dress made of raw meat to the VMAs something that’s truly artistic?
So where does one draw the line between refreshingly novel and ridiculous? Bjork’s unprecedented audiovisual experience is certainly creative and entertaining. But if she is a musician, shouldn’t her primary goal be her music? I am a huge Guitar Hero fan, and I know that when I play the video game I become so focused on hitting the synchronized notes and pressing the right buttons that the music often becomes secondary, almost in the background. It is ironic, as you would think playing a song with your fingers would leave you an expert at the tune, but indeed, it has not increased my knowledge of most of the songs’ meanings and lyrics.
So is Bjork really fulfilling the musical basis of creating music that will impact listeners and allow them to connect to the musician? If Bjork’s iPad album is more video game than melody, is her audience fully able to grasp the message behind her tunes? If she is doing this for monetary purposes, my guess is it doesn’t matter.
I think that maybe we are looking too much into a simple app that is supposed to entertain children and adults. We should look at the app as an entrance rather than a deterrent. I think it is interesting how now, with the use of technology, people can get involved with the arts. The arts are no longer meant for museums and above someone’s fireplace, but it now has the capability to fit into the palm of our hands and become our own. With the use of technology a person can use other artists creations and use it as a source of inspiration for him or herself. One can use Bjork’s music to create something entirely new that has never been heard before.
By making this outlet of artistic expression more accessible and appealing to the children of today we could spark the interest of possible musicians rather than stifling it. We live in a generation where six year olds (strange as it seems) have their own iPods and have access to iPads. With the new technology that young children have access to, the art world has to adapt to catch the attention of the young budding musician or artist who might be subdued to wasting his or her time playing “Angry Birds”. I personally believe that by adapting to the children with Bjork’s music, and other artists, we can give a child the opportunity to create his own music which can then spark the interest of this child to set out to learn more about sophisticated music and to one day possibly create his or her own.
I don’t think that we need the music being used to be such sophisticated music. The music was not the focus of the app but rather it was the interaction with the child so that he or she could become part of the art, rather than just listening to it, was the epicenter of the app. I am not expecting a child to find an affinity to music by just listening to Bach on his iPod, but by allowing the child to become part of the music itself with something that may sound similar to something he or she can hear on the radio, the child will then find more of an appeal to the music. Lets remember that the market for most of these apps are for children, let these children works their way to appreciate Mozart and Bach, but meanwhile let them enjoy being kids. The children once sparked with the love of music will hopefully develop their palate for the sophisticate world of the musical greats.