IMAGINE PEACE TOWER is an outdoor work of art conceived by Yoko Ono in memory of John Lennon.
It is situated on Viey Island in Reykjavík, Iceland , powered entirely by Geothermal Energy.
The artwork was dedicated to John by Yoko at its unveiling on 9 Oct 2007, Lennon’s 67th birthday.
IMAGINE PEACE TOWER symbolizes Lennon’s and Ono’s continuing campaign for World Peace,
which began in the 1960s, was sealed by their marriage in 1969 and will continue forever.
IMAGINE PEACE TOWER is currently only illuminated on the following dates:
09 Oct - 08 Dec
21 Dec - 28 Dec
31 Dec
21 Mar - 28 Mar John’s birthday to death day
Winter equinox
New Year’s Eve
Spring equinox (J&Y’s Honeymoon)
The words IMAGINE PEACE are inscribed on the Well in 24 different languages.
IMAGINE PEACE TOWER is composed of a tall shimmering tower of light that will
appear every year and be visible from October 9th (John’s birthday) until
December 8th (the anniversary of his death).
In addition, the Tower will illuminate from Winter Solstice (December 21st - 28th),
on New Year’s Eve (December 31st) and the first week of spring (March 21st -28th).
It is lit from 2 hours after sunset until midnight, and until dawn on New Year’s Day.
One of the mesmerising features of the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER is that the strength,
intensity and brilliance of its light continually changes with the prevailing weather and
atmospheric conditions unique to Iceland - creating a clear pillar of light on a cloudless
night, beams irridescing with rainbow refractions in rain or snowfall, and brilliantly
reflecting off and through any moving layers of cloud.
The electricity for the light is generated entirely naturally - geothermally, from hot
water - at the Hellishei_i Geothermal Power Plant. This was one of the reasons for
situating the artwork in Iceland.
IMAGINE PEACE TOWER is closely connected to Yoko’s interactive artwork
WISH TREE (1981). The Wish Tree has been integral to many of Yoko’s exhibitions
around the world in museums and cultural centers where people have been invited to
write their personal wishes for peace and tie them to a tree branch.
Yoko has collected all the wishes - currently totalling over 750 thousand.
You can send your wishes to the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER
by email to: wish@IMAGINEPEACE.com
or by post to: IMAGINE PEACE TOWER, PO Box 1009, 121 Reykjavík, Iceland.
You can send as many wishes as you like, as often as you like.
‘Imagine all the people living life in peace’
John Lennon
‘A dream you dream alone is only a dream.
A dream you dream together is reality.’
Yoko Ono
On the map of the Earth planet, Iceland is a country situated in the northern
most part of our world. It is an ideal location from which to cover the Earth
with enlightenment and love.
Iceland is a magical and beautiful country. The electrical energy source for the
country and for the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER is geothermal - water, instead
of oil. No pollution. No war. This is just one of the incredible situations that
creates the magic of Iceland.
Right now, light is what the world so desperately needs, since, in varying
degrees, we all live in darkness of fear and confusion of the polluted world.
This column of light in Iceland will not be extinguished. It is the eternal flame
we send out to the world and the universe to give light and warmth, and the hope
and conviction that our dreams can come true.
I hope the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER will give light to the strong wishes of
World Peace from all corners of the planet and give encouragement, inspiration
and a sense of solidarity in a world now filled with fear and confusion.
Let us come together to realize a peaceful world.
I dedicate this tower to John Lennon.
my love for you is forever.
Yoko Ono
It was over 40 years ago when I conceived this idea of a LIGHT HOUSE made of light,
and listed it in my Conceptual Sales List.
Two hundred copies of which were sent out to people who followed my artworks.
A house constructed of light from prisms,
which exists in accordance with the
changes of the day.
Yoko Ono,
In 1967, John Lennon invited me for lunch at his Kenwood residence in England.
It was about six months after we first met in my Indica Gallery Show in London.
He told me that he read about the Light House in my publication and if I would build
one for him in his garden.
“Oh, that was a conceptual light house! I’m convinced that one day, it could be built,
but I don’t know how to do it.” I said with a laugh.
“Oh, I thought the Americans had come up with something” was what he said.
And that was that.
I still marvel at the fact that John was touched by that particular concept in my
catalogue, and 40 years ago at that!
In 1967, for my Lisson Gallery show in London, I re-wrote the concept more succinctly.
This was the way I should have expressed the idea to John in Kenwood, instead of
laughing it off.
The light house is a phantom house that is built by sheer light.
You set up prisms at a certain time of day, under a certain evening light which goes
through the prisms, the light house appears in the middle of the field like an image,
except that, with this image, you can actually go inside if you wanted to. The light
house may not emerge every day, just as the sun doesn’t shine every day.
Yoko Ono, 1965
Rewritten for Lisson Gallery, London, 1967
Around the cylindrical Wishing Well, which is the frame for the column of light,
there is a platform faced with three types of native Icelandic stone - hyalite,
dolerite and basalt- in a striped mosaic pattern. At the centre of the platform the
light emerges from a cylindrical Wishing Well, 4m in diameter and 2m high.
On October 9th, the day for the unveiling day for the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER,
people around the world were asked to join together to create a circle of peace.
Oct 9th 11.45pm Anchorage
Oct 9th 12.45pm Los Angeles
Oct 9th 01.45pm Guatemala
Oct 9th 02.45pm Chicago
Oct 9th 03.45pm New York
Oct 9th 03.45pm Montreal
Oct 9th 04.45pm Rio de Janeiro
Oct 9th 07.45pm Reykjavík
Oct 9th 08.45pm Liverpool
Oct 9th 09.45pm Europe
Oct 9th 10.45pm Baghdad
Oct 9th 11.45pm Moscow
Oct 10th 12.45am Karachi
Oct 10th 01.45am Dhaka
Oct 10th 02.45am Bangkok
Oct 10th 03.45am Shanghai
Oct 10th 04.45am Tokyo
Oct 10th 05.45am Sydney
Oct 10th 06.45am Vladivostok
Oct 10th 07.45am Suva
Oct 10th 08.45am Auckland
Oct 10th 09.45am Kiritimati
I dedicate this light tower to John Lennon
my love for you is forever
yoko ono
October 9th 2007
IMAGINE PEACE TOWER: Unveiling Speech by Yoko Ono
All spirits of goodness of this magical land, of the planet, and of the universe,
thank you, thank you, thank you, for witnessing our humble gathering
for the unveiling of IMAGINE PEACE TOWER.
They say, if all the people in China were to jump up and down at the same time,
the axis of the globe would shift.
Well, we are here together.
Billions of us.
Standing at the dawn of a new age determined to shift the axis of the world to health,
peace and joy by loving and caring for all lives on Earth.
Some of us are here physically, some are joining us in spirit.
Some of us are imprisoned, tortured, maimed and silenced, but they are also here today with us.
Some of us have passed away before being able to enjoy a new age of love and peace.
But we are all here today standing together with hope.
The light is the light of wisdom, healing and empowerment.
Even in the moments of confusion, fear and the darkness of your souls, hold the light
in your hearts, and you will know that you are not alone, that we are all together in
seeing the light of peace.
I thank the people of Iceland, for having given so much love to this tower from its inception.
IMAGINE PEACE TOWER was visualized with love, and realized by love.
It is a gift from John and Yoko and the people of Iceland to the world.
I know that John is with us, too, in this land of Nutopia,
happy that the light tower is finally a reality after 40 years.
Let’s make a wish as the light goes on.
Let’s send light to each other and say I love you!
i ii iii
John, we love you!
Yoko Ono Lennon
October 9th 2007
.
BIRTHDAY THOUGHTS 2007
We stand on this beautiful planet enjoying
the sunrise, the sunset, the change of seasons
the oceans, the mountains, the clear sky
and the lovely towns and cities we’ve created together
We cherish the moment of peace and quiet
We cherish the moment of having fun
We cherish every moment of warmth and love
We laugh, we heal, and we embrace
With what we’ve learnt and experienced
With our wisdom and the sense of unity
We protect our world from destruction
For our hearts beat in unison
Even when we fight with one another
We breathe for life
We’ll survive
Remember: we are one
A big hug and kiss to each one of you
I feel privileged to share this time with you
Thank you for being in my life
at times as teachers, as angels, as friends
always as blessings, always with love
Without you, I would not be
Today is the beginning of our joyful lives
Let’s dance together in our hearts
and play the game of life
In love
We breathe for life
We will survive
Remember:
We are Love
Please make sure you join us in spirit
on the day of the unveiling of the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER.
All you have to do is visit www.IMAGINEPEACE.com
and send your wishes which will go directly to Reykjavík.
We will all be together on that day.
They say that if people in China all jumped at the same time,
the axis of the globe will be shifted.
Well, we are shifting the axis of the world to peace by our unity.
I love you!
Yoko Ono Lennon
