Biophilia apps available for Android and Windows 8 – Biophilia Educational Program

Overview (Biophilia)

 

Biophilia is a multimedia project that includes an album with ten apps integrated in one mother app. The main objective is to explore areas where music, cosmic nature and technology meet, showing people how sound can transmit specific emotions while at the same time users are exploring the infinite length of the universe, from planetary systems to atomic structure. Biophilia artwork earned the Grammy Award for Best Recording Package (2013 Grammy Awards).

Scott Snibbe (Image source: www.labkultur.tv)

Every app includes a game related to the song. The animations and a musical essay was written by Dr. Nicola Dibben. The interactive artist Scott Snibbe produced the apps, as well as the images for all live shows trough a combination of his visuals from National Geographic imagery mixed with live using tablets and computers. He encouraged Björk not to use the apps only for music, but as a vital component of a whole interactive project. 

http://www.snibbeinteractive.com/

Biophilia Educational Program 

The BEP (http://biophiliaeducational.org/), a non-profit and volunteer-based, is a new way to teach children about science and music using technology. The beginning started by offering free interactive science and music workshops for children that travel with Björk’s Biophilia live show residencies. In each city, the program has worked with local school to create lessons, complete with a core syllabus and curriculum topics. The aim was to bring together knowledge of nature and science, music and technology. It is clear that learning and teaching using touch screens enables students of different levels exploring their creativity in an intuitive way and develop their musical imagination without them needing academic and technical skills.

The feedback from workshops

“The Children’s Museum of Manhattan ran Biophilia workshops with an unusual focus on kids from age 5 and up, the workshops invited children and their families to explore the themes of Biophilia while enjoying hands-on science experiments, movement, dance and even some simple music theory. CMOM educators who conducted the workshops guided families through the Biophilia App Suite to foster creativity and inspire children to tap into their own musical creativity.”

The app's embarrassment 
According to BEP it makes sense for Biophilia apps be available on all touch screens because the most interest feedback has come from students with low-income households and schools without budgets. The only way to provide Biophilia's contact for them was to reprogrammed to Android and W8. However, due to the costs involved, the application in the beginning was only accessible to people with Apple devices (iPhones and iPads).

Resolution strategy 
Through a Kickstarter campaign, they wanted to raise the money to bring Biophilia to Android and Windows 8 touch screens .

Kickstarter Campaign - A new way to fund creative projects

"We’re a home for everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Kickstarter is full of projects, big and small, that are brought to life through the direct support of people like you. Since our launch in 2009, 5.2 million people have pledged $892 million, funding 52,000 creative projects. Thousands of creative projects are raising funds on Kickstarter right now"

Björk hoped to fund the development of Android and Windows 8 app through a crowdfunding campaign on the Kickstarter website. It was launched in January 2013 seeking for 448,613€ from fans, but unfortunately was closed 10 days after only with 18,387€. 

http://www.kickstarter.com

Finally 
With the creative partner Snibbe Studio, Björk found a partner, Apportable Inc. (A San Francisco start up that automates the process of turning an iOS app into an Android app.). After two years it was released like the iOS version: 10 Individual sections, one for each song on her Biophilia album, including mini-games, interactive art and music creation tools. 
The apps are available on Google Play Store by 9,99€ and like iOS version contains 10 individual sections: one for each song on her Biophilia album, including mini-games, interactive art and music creation tools. 

"They came up with a new way of converting apps to Android that costs a whole lot less and takes far less time than previously expected. Luckily for us, technology had developed so now it is possible to do this at a fraction of the cost."

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bjork.biophilia&hl=en