40 years ago, Yoko Ono and John Lennon started their project to deliver PEACE to the world. Today, 27 years after John’s death, Yoko Ono’s Peace Tower on Videy Island in Reykjavík was unveiled, on what would have been the 67th birthday of John Lennon. The pillar of light will shine until December 8, the anniversary of his murder in New York in 1980.
I was immediately intrigued by the blog line when I read those words: Yoko Ono, John Lennon, their masterpiece IMAGINE, the MOST north capital city in the world……Those words are the perfect combination to generate media coverage: Celebrity names (Dead and Alive), special location( the MOST north capital), special gadget (the Image peace tower), positive theme (world peace). Anyone would want to stop to such headline.
The tower is the realization of a project that she and John first spoke about 40 years ago. It is a beam of light that will project from a wishing well bearing the words “imagine peace” in 24 languages and will be lit each year from Oct. 9 to Dec. 8th (the anniversary of John’s death).
The concept is utterly brilliant. But apart from all the normal PR-oriented key messages and intriguing words, what really impressed me is the strong will of Yoko and John and the eternal love between the two. We could say that it’s a great milestone of their love journey, with or without John. They’ve been the one of the greatest lovers of all time. World peace is a perpetual topic. Human beings have been pursuing for it through centuries. But when it comes to individuals, one barely thinks about what he could do for the perpetual dream. Yoko and John have been using arts and their voice to deliver the message to the world, just as they said in IMAGINE:
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
And today Yoko Ono called on the world to imagine living life in peace as she unveiled her installment. Ono and Beatles drummer Ringo Starr lit up the cold night with the wide shaft of blue light as about 200 people sang along with Lennon’s song “Imagine,” playing in the background. Perfect. I’m sure when the light from the tower shines, the world will pause for a time and imagine peace.
Thanks, Yoko and John.
