Watch Bjork’s Oceanic, 360-Degree ‘Stonemilker’ Video

Andrew Huang-directed clip first premiered in March at Icelandic singer's MoMA retrospective

Published by

June 8, 2015

Watch Bjork’s Oceanic, 360-Degree ‘Stonemilker’ Video

Bjork’s mind-bending 360-degree video for “Stonemilker” ”“ a highlight from her MarchÂ retrospectiveÂ at New York’s Museum of Modern Art ”“Â has premiered worldwide on YouTube (viaÂ Dazed).Â The clip, directed by Andrew Huang, allows users to view the Icelandic art-pop experimentalist from different angles as she sings on a wind-swept beach outside of Reykjavik. Fans with the appropriate browser technology can navigate the visuals by pulling on the screen with their mouse or by clicking on the arrows in the top-left corner.Â

“Intimacy was the goal of this project, giving BjÃ¶rk the open, unrestricted stage on which to perform, and giving audiences a one-on-one experience with her through [virtual reality],” Huang told Dazed of the innovative video. “The shoot was spontaneous, decided in a late-night conversation between me and BjÃ¶rk while we had VR gear with us in Iceland ”“ the cyclical format of the 360-degrees was perfect for the circular fugue structure of ‘Stonemilker.'”

The haunting orchestral-electronic track is the opener from BjÃ¶rk’s ninth studio album, Vulnicura, which was released in January. The LP, which hit the Top 40 in over a dozen countries, marked a period of redemption for the singer, who in recent years overcame a number of traumatic events ”“Â notably the 2014Â death of musical collaborator Mark Bell, a 2012 throat operation and a life-changing breakup with longtime partner Matthew Barney.Â

“It was a survival mechanism,” BjÃ¶rkÂ told Rolling StoneÂ in February, detailing how songwriting inspiration helped her move forward. “I thought, all the way to the last day [of the relationship with Barney], that everything would be fine. Maybe that’s why it was such a shock to me. At first, I was just going to put the songs together and not say anything. But putting the months on ””Â it felt right. It would justify being that full of self-pity [laughs]. When people listen to these lyrics, I can go, ‘It was only two months after the breakup. I was a teenage mess!'”

Ryan Reed