All Is Full Of Love

"You'll be given love
You'll be taken care of
You'll be given love
You have to trust it"

How can this series of posts ignore something from Bjork? Of course I couldn't neglect her. Probably no other artist has such an amazing body of visual work that accompanies their aural output. She consistently aligns herself with the most cutting-edge directors, be it her long-time collaborator Michel Gondry, or, in this case, Chris Cunningham.

I chose "All Is Full Of Love" for several reasons; a) it is a simple, yet moving song; b) I love this mix of the song (the original is beatless, and the addition of the scrunchy, heartbeat-like drum pattern brings so much to the song); c) Bjork is just too damn important in my life (for various reasons); and d) this video is fantastically gorgeous.

Cunningham, who made his name directing other iconic videos for Aphex Twin ("Come to Daddy" and "Windowlicker"), Madonnna ("Frozen"), and Squarepusher ("Come On My Selector"), is always taking from his design background (he was a designer of some sets and designs on the Aliens movies) and adding his own perspective to things. His work is clinically precise, yet it always has a heart to it. Even though "All Is Full Of Love" takes place in a rigidly cold industrial setting, the sleek white skin of the robots remains the warm focal point. I love all the small touches: the milky white fluid caressing the machines, the showers of sparks. Although I am sure there are many complex interpretations of the video, I choose to look at it simply as meaning that regardless of environment or situation, we can always find love.