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Björk's 'Fossora' Album Explores Fungi, Family, and Philosophical -Isms

publication · 2026-04-20

Björk's latest release, Fossora, often referred to as her 'mushroom album' or 'matriarch music,' delves into themes of family and fungal networks. In 2015, the Icelandic artist collaborated with writer Timothy Morton to discuss concepts of posthumanism and 'paneroticism.' The album opens with 'Atopos,' which incorporates clarinet sounds, marking a shift from her 2017 work, Utopia. The accompanying video showcases her dancing in a rave cave adorned with fungi, dressed in mushroom-themed haute couture. Influenced by the 2020 documentary Fantastic Fungi and mycologist Paul Stamets, the track 'Mycelia' resonates with her 2004 album Medulla. Fossora also draws from Anna L. Tsing's 2015 book, The Mushroom at the End of the World, and features songs like 'Ancestress' and 'Her Mother's House,' which includes her daughter Ísadóra. The album embodies themes of nature and personal history.

Key facts

  • Björk released the album Fossora, calling it 'matriarch music' and her 'mushroom album.'
  • In 2015, Björk corresponded with Timothy Morton about defining an artistic '-ism,' considering posthumanism and paneroticism.
  • Fossora's opening track 'Atopos' features woodwind instruments, contrasting with 2017's Utopia.
  • The album's video shows Björk dancing in a fungi-filled rave cave in haute couture mushroom attire.
  • Björk cited the documentary Fantastic Fungi (2020) and mycologist Paul Stamets as influences.
  • Track 'Mycelia' uses cut-up vocals to represent mycorrhizal networks, echoing her 2004 album Medulla.
  • Anthropologist Anna L. Tsing's book The Mushroom at the End of the World (2015) inspired themes of regeneration.
  • Songs 'Ancestress' and 'Sorrowful Soil' address her late mother, while 'Her Mother's House' features her daughter Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney.

Entities

Artists

  • Björk
  • Timothy Morton
  • Harry Styles
  • Paul Stamets
  • Anna L. Tsing
  • Ursula K. Le Guin
  • Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney

Institutions

  • Pitchfork
  • Somerset House
  • ArtReview

Locations

  • Iceland
  • Hiroshima

Sources