Bjork’s ‘Biophilia’ Heading to European Classrooms
Björk’s Biophilia project is about to become an official component of education in some European schools. The Guardian reports that the Biophilia Educational Program, based on the Icelandic singer’s 2011 app album on the intersection of music and science, will be officially adopted into the curriculum of several countries in northern Europe.
Flashback: Bjork and PJ Harvey Duet on ‘Satisfaction’
Björk worked with Scandinavian education experts, scientists, and music and science teachers to draw up the program, which was “designed to inspire children to explore their own creativity, and to learn about music and science through new technologies,” according to the Biophilia Educational Program’s website. Targeted toward children between the ages of 10 and 12 (but suitable for 8- though 15-year-olds), the program uses interactive touchscreen apps to connect diverse fields of study. In an interview with the Guardian, Björk said that the program has been “really popular with kids who have ADD or dyslexia.”
The program has had a test run in several cities, including Oslo, Reykjavik, Paris, São Paulo and Los Angeles, and Björk’s 2012 residency at the New York Hall of Science led to months-long versions of the program at the New York Public Library and The Children’s Museum of Manhattan.
Björk, who just appeared on the new album by experimental hip-hop crew Death Grips, is making serious headway into other institutions as well. Earlier this week, New York’s Museum of Modern Art announced that it will acquire Biophilia as the first ever app inducted into its permanent collection. “I started thinking about acquiring Biophilia when it was released, in 2011,” Paola Antonelli, senior curator of the department of architecture and design, said in a written statement. “At that time, a year after the iPad had been introduced, designers and developers were excitedly experimenting with apps that took advantage of a screen bigger than the iPhone. With Biophilia, however, Björk truly innovated the way people experience music by letting them participate in performing and making the music and visuals, rather than just listening passively.”
Watch the app at work in this video from the Biophilia Educational Program: