Björk is launching a Kickstarter campaign to make the Biophilia apps available for Windows8, Android and Mac Desktop.
Bjork, Photo: Ros O'Gorman
The 10 educational apps, which are currently available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, each correlate to a song on Björk’s Biophilia album and were collectively named one of 2011’s Best Apps by Apple. The apps serve as the cornerstone of the Biophilia Educational Program, which provides interactive instruction in science and music to students around the world.
‘The Biophilia Educational Program is a new way to teach children about science and music,’ says Björk.
‘It has met with success in many cities, sparking interest from kids and educators from all over the world, from South America to East Asia to Africa. The most interest has come from students from low-income households and schools with underfunded art budgets, and the only way to bring the project to those people is to have Biophilia reprogrammed for Android and Windows 8. The Biophilia educational project is strictly non-profit and volunteer-based, and that’s why we need your help.’
Backers of the Biophilia Kickstarter campaign can earn rewards including early copies of the Android app, exclusive t-shirts and Biophilia documentary DVDs. Those pledging £800 for the project will also earn a VIP admission ticket to one of the Biophilia live shows coming to Paris, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Tokyo this year.
The website for the Biophilia Educational Program is now live at biophiliaeducational.org
This interactive educational programming is designed to teach students about the relationships between music, science and technology and encourages students and educators to use creativity as a learning tool. As part of her residency in Iceland, Björk collaborated with the University of Iceland and the City of Reykjavik to create interactive workshops that reflect the themes and natural phenomena that inspired her Biophilia album.
‘It’s taught me that any sound can make music, and how much science and music is related,’ described one student who experienced the program. The project is set to continue in Reykjavik over the next three years, and it recently received the 2012 EUPRIO Award for best science media project.
In the fall of 2012, Björk released bastards, an album of remixed tracks from Biophilia featuring collaborations with artists and producers specifically chosen by Bjork for the project including Current Value, Death Grips and Hudson Mohawke, In October, MOCAtv, the new online contemporary art video channel, and a digital extension of the education and exhibition program of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), debuted the video for Björk’s ‘Mutual Core’.
Here is a short introduction to how the app is being used:
