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Björk has been busy on the festival circuit this summer (though recently canceled the series after Wilderness, which gave her appearance here extra curiosity value), though her act is so subtle and layered that in some ways if feels as if it ought to take place in the Barbican, in a quieter and more controlled environment. The interplay of words, images and music, the ripples of symbolism, visual and aural, and the way in which a mood created in one medium is then manipulated in another summed up the strength of the set.
The cleavage in black, heart-shaped tracery (“lionsong”) looked disturbing on a huge screen, while the footage of Björk in a lime dress against the 360 degree volcanic shore of Iceland (“stonemilker”) was drawn out too long to have much impact. “Army of Me” was accompanied by a hypnotically disturbing film of a bee hive being attached by orange wasps (hornets?), “Hunter” by a close-up of spiders, while the Vulnicura songs used more familiar iconography. Even after the fireworks had finished, visuals dominated. She opened her show with “Notget”, a spectacular collage of retina-bursting pink from the huge screen, sky-drenching pyrotechnics and Björk’s Markus Wernitznig dress and mask over the glossy string sound of the white-clad Heritage Orchestra, which set the tone of the evening for a performance that was arguably as much a multimedia art show as a gig. And there’s Björk, who is both impossible to categorise, and also - though clearly a big draw - very difficult to schedule. Then there are the more reflective, lyrical charms of Perfume Genius or Nick Mulvey. And you’d have to put Medusa on stage to stop the audience dancing to Caravan Palace, George Clinton, Seun Kuti or Ibibio Sound Machine. These were all bands that combine a serious artistic purpose - there was much joy, but no frivolity at Wilderness - with the kind of sound that anyone could dance to.
For much of the time you’d be forgiven for thinking there was a bias towards strongly rhythmical funk or Afrobeat-based groups. This was true both of the established acts – Björk, Nick Mulvey, George Clinton - and the less familiar names, such as Ibibio Sound Machine and Perfume Genius. The musical programme goes very obviously for quality over quantity, designed to appeal, like the food, theatre and talks, to a well-informed, discerning audience. That big sky was also the perfect setting for the fireworks that stylishly punctuated Björk’s astonishing multimedia show, and took off with the Saturday night spectacle ( pictured below) designed by Spanish company La Fura Dels Baus, otherwise known for the Beijing Youth Olympics opening ceremony. The main stage was positioned to exploit a natural slope, creating a slightly tiered viewing platform, so the stage and its glorious big screen were visible to all, with a lovely view over Oxfordshire behind. Beautiful, especially after a hot day’s trekking between venues. You could get expensively Scandinavian about it, with a lakeside hot tub, or take the British seaside route and get changed awkwardly under a towel, and just jump in. The final addition, and a gorgeous bonus, was the lake swimming ( pictured below). Even the most diverse family or group of friends could attend and find something for everyone to do. Wilderness is best known for bringing serious chefs to the sort of event previously characterised by pot noodles and mud pie, but it’s not just the serious food that’s expanded the Wilderness programme: theatre, literary events, discussion, a “wellbeing” programme comprising spa, sanctuary, yoga, and the like, and outdoor activities including riding, archery and fishing. The festival was founded in 2011, among other things to elevate the culinary festival experience to the same level as the musical for the increasingly diverse, prosperous, and elderly festival-going audience. (Maybe you’re wearing that yourself, as you sit down to your £75 worth of birch sap martini and hay-baked arctic char?) Welcome to Wilderness, the festival that mixes up high-concept and popular cultural experiences more vigorously than ever before.
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In addition to which, before your morning shower, you queue up next to someone wearing a silver bodysuit and full facial glitter.
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