For over three decades, Björk has pushed our understanding of how music, art and technology can intersect to summon powerfully human emotions. Vulnicura VR – Remastered, the groundbreaking spatial reimagining of the singer-songwriter’s heart-wrenching album for Apple Vision Pro, is the most unforgettable example yet.

Vulnicura VR — Remastered further enhances the songs first recorded for Björk’s eponymous 2015 album and later adapted to 360-degree music videos in virtual reality experience Vulnicura VR, itself influenced by the artist’s touring exhibition Björk Digital.

Transporting you to the awe-inspiring landscapes of her native Iceland, Vulnicura VR – Remastered transforms each track into a fully immersive experience that envelops you in a visual translation of its music and lyrics.

Artist and long-time Björk collaborator Andrew Thomas Huang directed Vulnicura VR tracks “Family”, “Stonemilker” and “Black Lake”, and served as creative consultant for the Remastered app on Apple Vision Pro. He recalls using drones to scan the vistas of Iceland in 2014 while filming Vulnicura’s music videos: “That terrain has become the main set piece for this virtual opera.”

Vulnicura is a moving and intimate journey, as Björk explores the pain of heartbreak and solace of eventual healing following the end of her long-term relationship. The grounded Icelandic locations combine with performances from Björk herself and abstracted representations of each song’s deeply personal lyrics to bring you into their emotional landscape. Some elements respond to your movements, further connecting you with the world of Björk’s music.

“When Björk passes through the viewer in ‘Family’, I had a lot of viewers tell me that they cried and it’s because they felt like they could touch her,” Huang says.

Vulnicura VR – Remastered builds upon Björk’s innovative combination of music and technology for her previous album, Biophilia. Each of the 10 songs on that album inspired a separate iPad app, which allowed users to explore the literal galaxy of the album and watch animated videos for each track, each exploring different elements of musicology.

“As with Biophilia, each song Vulnicura VR – Remastered] was made in collaboration with a different director,” says James Merry, who served as co-creative director for Vulnicura VR alongside the musician. “Technically that was very complicated, but creatively I think it made them feel quite rich in their technical diversity, with each song having its own distinct approach and visual language.”

That visual language in Vulnicura VR includes a mixture of 360-degree video footage, digital motion capture, live footage and virtual recreations of the iconic physical masks handmade by Merry for several of Björk’s music videos and live performances. The result is an elevation of the music’s already soul-stirring storytelling and awe-inspiring artistic ambition.

“When Björk first tried [virtual reality] she recognised how naturally the technology matched the emotional landscape of Vulnicura,” Merry says. “Björk has an unusual ability to sense quite early on how a new technology feels, not just what it can do technically.

“[Vulnicura VR] felt like a unique and unmissable opportunity to be able to place the viewer alone in an airless digital space, yet standing just a few feet from Björk as she sings an incredibly emotional song.”