What happened when Spike Jonze met Björk
Spike Jonze’s ‘The Day I Met Björk’, curated by Humberto Leon, is at Arroz & Fun in Los Angeles and accompanied by a free, downloadable zine from WeTransfer
Spike Jonze met Björk at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles in 1995. In the months before, they had been discussing the concept for music videos from her upcoming album, Post, talking over the phone but never meeting in real life. Then Björk went to LA, and Jonze was asked to shoot her for Detour magazine. When he first saw her, she was wearing orange and drinking coffee – it was the calm before a casual but prolific day of shooting around the hotel.
The hundreds of photographs from that day have now been curated by friend and collaborator Humberto Leon (the designer and restaurateur, who recently designed a Tory Burch pop-up), for an exhibition – ‘The Day I Met Björk’, at Leon’s restaurant Arroz & Fun in collaboration with WeTransfer – that traces Björk throughout the day, from hotel room to garden to pool.
Spike Jonze and Humberto Leon on ‘The Day I Met Björk’
For Jonze, the photographs capture the moment right before Björk’s album blew up, changing everything for her. ‘It’s very easy to shoot photos of someone when they’re compelling, when they’re imaginative, when they lack any self-consciousness and when they’re as singular and original as her. Really, I almost can’t even take credit for any photos being good because they’re just... I think sometimes if you’re shooting photos of someone that doesn’t know how to be in front of the camera or play or just create something with you, then it’s hard. But this was just her. Just [point] the camera at her and she’s compelling.’
For Leon, favourite photos from the series include the singer going down the hallway, peeking her head back out of the doorway with her distinctive playfulness. ‘I feel like, looking at all the contact sheets, I live through the day with you and her because I saw the sequence of the day,’ he tells Jonze. ‘It’s almost like you were just like, “Throw that blanket over your body and jump on the bed.” And she was like, “Sure.” There’s one of her really close up with this blanket around her face and it’s shot so beautifully in black and white.’
WeTransfer presents ‘The Day I Met Björk’ at Arroz & Fun, accompanied by a free, downloadable zine
spike-jonze-bjork-zine.wetransfer.com
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, and written extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys meeting artists and designers, viewing exhibitions and conducting interviews on her frequent travels.
-
Get to know Issey Miyake’s innovative A-POC ABLE line as it arrives in the UK
As A-POC ABLE Issey Miyake launches in London this week, designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae gives Wallpaper* the lowdown on the experimental Issey Miyake offshoot
By Jack Moss Published
-
Eurovision unveils its 2024 stage, designed by Beyoncé's Renaissance Tour creatives
This year's stage design aims to bring the audience into the performance more than ever before.
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Ikea meets Japan in this new pattern-filled collection
New Ikea Sötrönn collection by Japanese artist Hiroko Takahashi brings Japan and Scandinavia together in a pattern-filled, joyful range for the home
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s LA-made work goes on show at Gagosian
‘Made on Market Street’ at Gagosian in Beverly Hills is the first show to present works made by the young artist between 1982 and 1984
By Hunter Drohojowska-Philp Published
-
Frieze LA 2024 guide: the art, gossip and buzz
Our Frieze LA 2024 guide includes everything you need to know and see in and around the fair
By Renée Reizman Published
-
‘Fungi: Web of Life’ film sees Björk and Merlin Sheldrake explore a magical world
Björk and microbiologist Merlin Sheldrake unite for ‘Fungi: Web of Life’, a 3D film in which the beauty and ecological importance of fungi unfurls
By Amah-Rose Abrams Published
-
‘Heaven ’N’ Earth’: Sayre Gomez blurs the reality and illusion of Los Angeles
Sayre Gomez’s ‘Heaven ‘N‘ Earth’ at Xavier Hufkens in Brussels explores the contrasts between wealth and poverty, reality and illusion in Los Angeles
By Finn Blythe Published
-
Ludovic Nkoth’s vibrant paintings reflect on migration
Cameroon-born, New York-based Ludovic Nkoth uses acrylic paint to strike a balance between abstraction and figuration
By Ugonna-Ora Owoh Published
-
Heads up: art exhibitions to see in January 2024
Start the year right with the Wallpaper* pick of art exhibitions to see in January 2024
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Sheila Metzner’s jewel-toned fashion photography goes on show in Los Angeles
‘Sheila Metzner: From Life’ is at the Getty Center until 18 February 2024, including her richly toned fashion photography and still lifes; the artist tells us more
By Hunter Drohojowska-Philp Published
-
Ken Gun Min’s mixed-media montages reframe cultural influences and queer identity
South Korean-born, LA-based Ken Gun Min illusively combines painting, embroidery and illustration
By Pei-Ru Keh Published