Nature Manifesto with Björk

Conceived as a post-optimistic manifesto on nature, this sound piece by Björk and Aleph addresses the unprecedented loss of biodiversity and the collapse of ecosystems. Björk's voice is accompanied by Robin Meier Wiratunga with the cries of extinct or endangered animals. Reading this nature manifesto, her voice blends with animal vocalisations and merges with soundscapes in nature. Envisioning a future where the resilience of biology forms new combinations in nature, the work gives voice to silent nature, transforming its quietude into sound and resonating within our collective imagination.

« it is an emergency
the apocalypse has already happened

and how we will act now is essential

after the mass extinction
we will start anew
our old comfort is gone
we will parade with mutated crickets in glowing radio-active harvests

migrate with wildebeests
amongst endangered orangutans

a new world
with an emergence of assemblages

and rhizomatic entanglements

with the altered voice of a beluga
and a dna-morphed seal
we will settle in sound fields of mosquitoes

we will find sensory reciprocity
in all ecological connective tissues
in a pioneering sound-strata
of mutant peacocks, bees, and lemurs

biology will reassemble in new ways
and micro-organisms will mate with other life-forms to heal and adapt

in fruiting bodies
and fields of sensory information
the web of life will unfold into a world of new solutions
as basalt columns absorb carbon
or as a lyrebird becomes a chainsaw

life wins

with or without us

after plagues and pandemics
there will be new modes of existence
of weaving our bodies into relations with our surroundings

of decomposing our old ways of life
and escape the feedback loop

with metabolic ingenuity

the howl of our biological ancestry

repossessed by animal spirits

we remedy lost bird calls
out of niche-replacements

amongst a tapestry of beings

a new bio-diversity is reached

we will terraform the planet

in a deep morpho-genesis

from an animist volcanic island
we will revel at doppler-effect dolphins speeding by

unseen wonders blooming
hyphean enigmatic entities

the memory of our genes

will form a call to action

mold a new paris climate accord

this time reachable

reach

let's reach it »