Page 15 - Luce 2024

I nterview

‘Bling’ DNA Replication as requested by Björk
You mentioned that working with the musical artist Björk
has been one of the highlights of your career. What made
that particular project special for you?

The ‘Hollow’ music video I made with Björk is a powers-
of-ten exploration of the microscopic and molecular
landscapes inside her body. Björk is my age and I’ve had a
crush on her since she was in the Sugar Cubes and I was in
high school, so when she contacted me out of the blue and
asked me to create an interactive drum machine inspired by
my DNA Replication animation, I couldn’t believe it. It was
the highlight of my career and an amazing experience. And
because of her immense popularity, I was able to reach a
whole new audience.

The ‘Hollow’ music video animation was constructed from
molecular models of DNA and proteins derived from
various forms of scientific data such as x-ray crystallography.
My work is usually defined by goals of didactic science
education and accuracy, so this is the first time that I’ve
strayed fully into the world of art, with the opportunity to
mess around with the scientific data to create a whimsical
and playful journey.

Inside a cell nucleus the audience encounters Björk’s
ancestral spirit – her ghost in the machine – that watches
over her genes as they flow from one generation to the
next. The spirit manifests as a large molecular complex
which was modelled from a three-dimensional head scan
of Björk. The inspiration for the face came from the ‘fruit
face’ paintings by the 16th century Italian artist Giuseppe
Arcimboldo who took objects such as fruits, vegetables, or
books, and arranged them in such a way that they formed a
portrait.

Bjork performing dressed as DNA

J anet Clarke Hall 15