The Role of Technology as Examined Through Björk's Music Video "All is Full of Love"

In the music video "All Is Full of Love," performed by Björk and directed by Chris Cunningham, Björk merges technology and man. In both the audio and visual portion of the work, technology displays its coexistence with man. For example, Björk blends the music with technology by inserting a reverb effect to her natural voice and complementing an electronic drum kit with an orchestral harp. However, to what extent does this utilization of technology influence the intended purpose of her work? Perhaps by fusing natural elements with technical ones, Björk gives technology a new cultural significance. By examining the technological components, one can uncover the theme of the music video. In Björk's "All Is Full of Love," chiaroscuro and diction draw on Donna Haraway's "cyborg" to contend that technology liberates the individual from cultural constraints.

In Donna J. Haraway's "A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century" from Simians, Cyborgs, and Women: The Reinvention of Nature, the cyborg blurs cultural boundaries. On the surface, the cyborg is merely a physical fusion between organism and technology, but the implications of this union beget an abstraction for an impartial, improved society. To clarify, the cyborg's characteristics yield an outline for a society devoid of restrictive norms, boundaries, and binaries, such as gender and sexuality. Societies define what is "normal" and "acceptable" by a set of entrenched constraints, such as male dominion in gender roles, heterosexuality in sexual preference, and types of caste systems in a societal hierarchy, but the cyborg is removed from these biases. These biases are what will be defined as cultural boundaries: impediments derived from the strict norms of various societies. Rather, in the cyborg world, people "are not afraid of permanently partial identities and contradictory standpoints" (Haraway 154). The essence of the cyborg resides in its "partial" identity-its disassociation from the norm of a standard identity. The cyborg has a partial identity in that it is comprised of various fragments of ideas, which can overall be contradictory to the accepted values of society. In other words, because the cyborg is detached from standard cultural values, it blurs cultural boundaries by uniting unconventional characteristics under one entity. Therefore, the cyborg does not belong to any single stereotype or classification; it is neutral and equal to all choices. By negating social binaries with an unbiased, partial being, the cyborg transcends cultural values and expectations.

In the scene in which the two robots become intimate, chiaroscuro between the robots and the machines expands the cyborg's negation of cultural boundaries. The robots are physical manifestations of the cyborg in that they have human qualities, such as eyes, mouths, and a human physique including legs and arms, yet they simultaneously have machine characteristics, such as wires and plated bodies. As a representation of the ideals of the cyborg, the robots here transcend the social binary of sexuality. Both are ostensibly female due to the presence of breasts, so their intimacy insinuates homosexuality. The bodies of the robots are white, symbolizing purity in their actions, even though their affection contradicts the cultural norm of heterosexuality, and the dark, shadowed machines to which they are bound represent cultural restrictions. In this particular scene, however, dark shadows are partially cast upon the white bodies of the robots, signifying the robots' contention with culture. To clarify, although they are restrained by the machines, or cultural expectancies and norms, the robots, as embodiments of the ideals of the cyborg, continue to engage in their unconventional intimacy. Thus, they detach themselves from society to fully embrace the "partial" aspect of their identities to combat social oppression. Furthermore, the fact that the robots and the concept of the cyborg are materializations of technology reveals the relationship between technology and culture. Technology itself is unbiased to its creators and users, for anyone of any cultural classification has the potential to implement or utilize technology. Therefore, not only is technology free from cultural restrictions, but also it liberates others from such constraints. Because technology is unprejudiced, it can be used as a means of free expression. By removing the gender binary, chiaroscuro draws on the cyborg's ideals to demonstrate how technology releases one from cultural shackles.

Diction in selecting a technological analogy validates the cyborg's blurring of cultural values. Björk asserts that everyone has the potential to receive compassion, though sometimes an individual is not cognizant of it. Björk sings, "You just ain't receiving/ All is full of love/ Your phone is off the hook." The choice of the image of a "phone off the hook" intimates a two-way communication, in which one side knowingly ignores the beckoning of the other by rendering his phone inaccessible. The only reason for the avoidance of such communication is the obstacle of social binaries, or some sort of cultural boundary, that dissuades the individual from exchanging love, perhaps by fear of social ramifications. By embracing technology, or by operating the "phone," an individual can fully express his love to others. This form of communication is the epitome of the cyborg's effect on society, for it blurs all boundaries; every race, gender, or class is capable of giving and receiving love once cultural restrictions are eliminated. For example, in the music video, the robots, who embrace technology in that they are a representation of it, express their unmitigated compassion by becoming intimate, thus negating the cultural stipulations of race, gender, and sexuality. Diction in choosing technology as the means of communication to receive love augments the cyborg's purpose by elaborating on how the dissipation of cultural boundaries liberates the individual.

However, one can argue that individuals are not liberated by technology, but rather limited by their access to it. Because technology is not readily accessible to all, it may aid in constructing new cultural boundaries, such as the binary of those with technology and those without technology. In fact, it seems that technology already plays into the binaries of wealth and knowledge. Will someone with more technology be freer? How can technology transcend cultural boundaries to be a medium for free expression if it uncovers new boundaries? Granted, the exploitation of any tool in society can be construed as creation of new cultural boundaries, for the extended use of an implement in society will tend for some to be more capable of using it than others. It is important to note that technology itself does not construct these binaries, but it is instead the very nature of man to devise social stratifications to quench his desire for dominance and power from inequalities in society. Fortunately, the essence of technology, as seen through the lens of the cyborg, still transcends all cultural boundaries, even those allegedly created by it. Technology remains impartial to its users, for it has no mind to discriminate-its function of begetting free expression remains potent across all cultural boundaries. Like the cyborg, technology does not associate with any one classification. An individual with more access to technology, wealth, or knowledge can utilize technology to the same extent as one with less of these constraints, for technology as a means for expression is unbiased. As Björk continues to contend, "All is full of love"; the potential for compassion is always there, but man sometimes obscures its fruition. Although man does create new cultural boundaries by exploiting the nature of technology, technology still liberates the individual from social constraints.

Ultimately, the role of technology, as discovered through Björk's music video "All is Full of Love," is to detach the individual from social constraints and to permit the individual expressive freedom. Björk utilizes technology to completely articulate her emotions. For example, she employs it in warping her voice and producing beats, sounds, and effects. Technology can be used by anyone, because, like the cyborg, it is post-gendered, not class conscious, and altogether impartial; it is the ultimate expressive means. Consequently, Björk emulates characteristics of the cyborg. Musically, she not only crosses the boundary of human and technology as described earlier, but also the boundaries of other musical divisions. To illustrate, the genre of her music cannot be defined in one term; it is a fusion of many sources, including electronic, pop, jazz, alternative, and more. Because she does not associate with any single label, she is not constrained to make music that matches any specific genre. Through technology, she is liberated to engender sounds and effects that simply convey her emotions. Björk's music is therefore the epitome of the cyborg in society and fully utilizes the freedom technology beget.

Works Cited

Björk. "All Is Full of Love." Homogenic. Black Dog, 1999. Music video. Dir. Chris

Cunningham.

Haraway, Donna. "A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socalist Feminism in the

Late Twentieth Century." Simians, Cyborgs, and Women: The Reinvention of Nature.

New York: Routledge. 1991.