Renowned Icelandic musician Björk and French artist Aleph have joined forces to create an immersive sound piece that brings the voices of extinct animals back to life using AI. This evocative installation, set to run from November 20 to December 9, will be featured at Paris’s Pompidou Centre as part of the art museum’s “Biodiversity: Which culture for which future?” forum. As visitors ascend and descend the iconic “caterpillar” escalators, they’ll be enveloped in a unique audio experience that blends nature and technology.

In a statement, Björk and Aleph explained the inspiration behind the piece, “We wanted to share [the animals’] presence in an architecture representing the industrial age, far away from nature. In the veins of the escalator of the museum, known as the ‘caterpillar,’ we wanted to remind citizens of the raw vitality of endangered creatures.” They hope the piece will resonate with listeners, creating a “sonic bridge” that allows people to connect with the spirit and natural harmony of these animals—whose calls are recreated through AI-driven sound. "Even though you are restlessly travelling between floors whilst listening to this sound piece, the tone of animals’ voices hopefully builds a sonic bridge towards the listeners. And in the spirit of these animals, in the magic of how they are sensually aligned with their environment, they become our teachers!” they added.

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While Björk took the lead on composing and writing for the installation, Aleph contributed to its conceptualization. The two worked closely with IRCAM, a French institute for sound research, which provided technical expertise. IRCAM describes the installation as a fusion of Björk’s voice, reciting her manifesto, with AI-reconstructed calls of extinct and endangered animals layered over natural soundscapes. This project aligns with Björk’s longstanding commitment to climate activism and environmental awareness.

This piece marks another step in her ongoing climate advocacy, following the recent announcement of her Cornucopia concert film at Climate Week. Further details on a related campaign with Aleph will be shared soon. For now, audiences can catch a glimpse of this powerful collaboration through trailers shared on Instagram and X.