Björk's 'Cornucopia' concert film to screen at cinemas
A vision years in the making, Björk’s Cornucopia—her most ambitious live production to date—will soon be accessible beyond the stage. Capturing the Icelandic artist’s immersive 2018 performance at Lisbon’s Altice Arena, the film is set for a limited global cinema release across 25 countries, with a UK premiere on May 7.
Originally conceived as a live experience merging music, technology, and environmental consciousness, Cornucopia evolved into a multi-year endeavor, spanning over 45 performances across four years. In January, Björk shared an hour-long excerpt of the film via Apple Music and Apple TV+, marking its first official public release.
Reflecting on the project, Björk described Cornucopia as an extension of her decade-long exploration of 360-degree sound, virtual reality, and immersive visuals—an effort that began with Biophilia and continued with Vulnicura VR. “My intention was to bring what we had created for 21st-century VR into a 19th-century theatre—taking it from the headset to the stage,” she explained.
The live production was nothing short of extraordinary. Featuring a custom-built circular flute, a magnetic harp, and 27 moving curtains designed to capture projections on varied textures and LED screens, Cornucopia blurred the boundaries between concert and performance art. The show primarily drew from her albums Utopia and Fossora, with themes woven around the climate crisis, a motif that underscored the entire tour. The ambitious staging earned Björk the “Best Live Performer” award from The Association of Independent Music (AIM).
Beyond the film, Cornucopia lives on in print. Late last year, Björk released Cornucopia: The Book, a visually extravagant 480-page tome featuring over 300 images, chronicling the evolution of the tour. Speaking on the book’s narrative, she described it as an allegorical tale, following an avatar “who alchemically mutates from puppet to puppet, from the injury of a heart wound to a fully healed state.”
For fans who missed the live show—or those eager to relive its breathtaking spectacle—the cinematic release of Cornucopia offers a rare opportunity to experience Björk’s singular artistic vision on the big screen.