björk - hyperballad

What this video is

Released in February–March 1996 as the fourth single from Björk's second solo album Post (1995), 'Hyperballad' arrived at the height of mid-90s electronic dance culture's crossover into mainstream pop. The video crystallized a pivotal cultural moment: the collision of early CGI and practical film technique, the mainstreaming of rave aesthetics into art-pop visual language, and Björk's positioning as the leading…

Why it matters

A canonical artifact of mid-90s art-pop and electronic music video history. Represents the zenith of pre-digital-post-production in-camera compositing technique. Established the Gondry–Björk collaboration as the most consequential director–artist partnership in 1990s music video. Pitchfork ranked…

The director

French filmmaker born 1964 in Versailles; grandson of inventor Constant Martin (creator of the Clavioline synthesizer precursor). Began directing music videos for his own band Oui Oui before Björk recruited him for 'Human Behaviour' (1993). Directed a total…