Björk has made a career for herself by being somewhat left of centre. Her music has always felt like it has come from somewhere in the not-too-distant future and now, as part of a digital showcase tour, she’s letting her listeners transport themselves to new worlds through the power of virtual reality.
Working in collaboration with HTC and its Vive VR headset, Björk is embarking on an 18-month world tour to bring fans a new way to experience her ‘Vulnicura’ album. The Vulnicura VR experience takes place as part of Sydney’s Vivid Festival on 4 June and uses high-resolution 3D scans, an on-location holostudio, motion capture and videogrammetry to bring a user into Björk’s virtual world.
As you’d expect from a musical experience, audio is key and so HTC has worked with each VR experience director to bring in clever audio design that fits this new 3D world. It’s clear that Björk lovers will get to experience her music in a way never seen before.
No, I don’t have any idea what’s going on either.
That said, it’s not actually clear what event attendees will experience. At the show itself there’s the added benefit of Björk DJing for the first few opening nights alongside the experiential VR album viewing room. It’s also unclear if HTC and Björk are going to release the show to those who already have access to a Vive headset so they can experience it from the comfort of their own home.
Still, this could all be seen as quite the gimmick, especially when you tie-in the ever-creative Björk into the mix. However, it’s certainly interesting to see how other industries are embracing VR hardware and content. While it’s very easy to imagine VR games and films, it’s a little harder to see how VR could enrich a musical experience beyond transporting someone to a live gig they couldn’t otherwise attend.
Björk’s digital tour will travel the globe in time, stopping off at other major cities around the world once it leaves Sydney. While we’ll have to wait and see if a VR music album is really the best way to experience music, it’s definitely interesting to see an alternative use for VR beyond watching a recording of a gig.
READ NEXT: Release your inner Banksy with this VR graffiti simulator
Disclaimer: Some pages on this site may include an affiliate link. This does not effect our editorial in any way.
