Texas Theatre to Show Encore Screening of Björk: Cornucopia

Spanning a career of nearly 50 years, Björk’s work has culminated in what might just be her magnum opus — Björk: Cornucopia.

The film debuted at select theaters in the United States earlier this month, with limited showings over a five-day span, but Dallas audiences will get to see it in theaters one more time for a one-night-only screening on Thursday, May 22.

Barak Epstein, operator at the Texas Theatre, was able to secure an encore screening after reaching out to Traflgar Releasing, the production company responsible for works such as Pink Floyd: Live in Pompeii and Daft Punk & Leiji Matsumoto’s Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem. He says several hundred tickets were sold to the two original screenings.

“I let them know there was a lot of enthusiasm about the film and there would be great interest in a third,” Epstein told us.

Cornucopia is a documentary concert film recorded live in 2023 from the Altice Arena in Lisbon. According to Björk’s website, it “captures the celebrated artist’s groundbreaking tour that mesmerised audiences worldwide for five years.”

The breathtaking live performance pushes the boundaries of conceptual art and music while staying true to Björk’s avant-garde essence, taking moviegoers on an awe-inspiring journey with captivating visuals, rich in color and depth.

A variety of instruments were created specifically for the Cornucopia tour, including an electromagnetic harp, a massive circular flute played by four people at the same time, and multiple acoustic and electronic percussion instruments. A flute septet is featured in the concert several times, creating varying arrays of texture and accompaniment to Björk’s songs. The artist also employed the powerful use of the Hamrhalid Choir, a fifty-person Icelandic choir.

The stage design is truly a visceral display of elaborate futurism. The multi-level performance space conjures images of floating slices of a tree trunk, large enough to hold the choir and more, with mushroom-like gills hanging from the underside of each platform. String curtains in dozens of layers were used to produce a stunning visual response to LED lighting, creating a surreal level of depth and an almost translucent quality to the ever-evolving images being projected upon them. The vibrant displays are projected throughout the show, ranging from colorful fungi connecting through mycorrhizal networks, to hundreds of orbs floating in a night sky, and the fluid movement of two humanoid-like figures morphing in and out of one another.

On the far left of the stage stands an extra-terrestrial hut-like structure that Björk occasionally enters. Functionally, it serves as a live reverb chamber but somehow looks like a character of its own with glowing eyes that change color as the set evolves.

Subtitles are used throughout the film to give structure to the artist’s often ethereal and abstract vocal melodies. More than 20 songs were included in the performance, many of which are spread across her Utopia (2017) and Fossora (2023) albums, weaving together a journey of connection with themes of matriarchy, mycology, harmony and discord.

Björk’s music will also be celebrated with a pre-screening party held an hour before showtime and will include an all-vinyl DJ set of her songs, spun by Charli Milk, an avid enthusiast of the artist.

“She is like no other artist, completely in her own category,” he said. “She’s constantly evolving and making music and art that transcends genre and labels.”

That transcendence is on display throughout the film, too. Thematically, Björk’s emphasis on climate change is at the foreground of Cornucopia. The film’s focus on environmentalism, which encourages people to collectively address the issue, led to it being awarded the Human Impact Prize in Cannes shortly after its debut.

The intersection of nature, beauty and technology is brought to life by costuming provided by world-renowned haute couture fashion designer Iris Van Herpen. According to the Dutch designer’s website, the ‘Sphaera’ dress, one of several looks featured in the film, “is inspired by a future orchid-avatar that is hovering like an aura” around Björk. These incredible works of art, which are often created with the use 3D printing, are further complemented by the otherworldly mask designs of James Merry, which adorn the performers in the film.

With Cornucopia, viewers are taken on a voyage to an immersive wonderland of captivating sights and sounds, one that Dallas audiences are truly lucky to get to experience once more.

Björk: Cornucopia shows at 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 22 at the Texas Theatre. Tickets are available now.