bjork and the modern minimalists

i came across this fascinating documentary in which icelandic singer/musician bjork speaks with estonian composer arvo part, finnish musician mika vainio (who is perhaps best known as one half of finnish experimental electronic duo pansonic, and from scotland the glass harmonica player alasdair malloy.

in its simple unpacking of what is powerful about music, and especially what is powerful about music that dares to express the inexpressible - simply - it carries a lot of weight. bjork’s childlike stance and the genuine love and passion each of the interviewees have for their work are a wicked combination that makes this film both informative and fascinating. the most telling and powerful comment in the video for me is when bjork suggests that, “it’s very brave to look complex things straight in the eye and just say . . . .come down.”

in my view, the very best teachers, artists, musicians and thinkers are doing just that in their very best work. bringing the complexity down to a place where it becomes accessible, meaningful and still transformative.

part one . . .

part two . . .