(Mikihiko Hori gives a detailed look at Yoko Ono's just concluded "Wish Tree for Pasadena" installation.)
Yoko Ono's participatory art project, "Wish Tree for Pasadena" was held from August 2nd to November 9th, '08 at the Courtyard of One Colorado, Pasadena, California, and ended its display with a huge success.
"Wish Tree for Pasadena" collected more than 90,000 wishes by spectators who hang them on 21 living crape myrtle trees (Lagerstroemia). The 90,000 wishes will be sent to Yoko Ono's "IMAGINE PEACE TOWER" on Videy Island in Reykjavik, Iceland, and will be stored there permanently. The 21 crape myrtle trees also found a new home and they will be transplanted in Arlington Garden in Pasadena on November 15th, '08.
One Colorado is basically a little shopping center. The courtyard in which "Wish Tree for Pasadena" was installed is located at the center and surrounded by many stores. Against the wall of one of these stores that looks over the courtyard, a huge white screen had been installed high above. On this screen, as an additional feature to "Wish Tree for Pasadena", Yoko Ono's documentary "ONOCHORD" was screened every night.
Based on the information I obtained, Yoko's film "ONOCHORD" was supposed to be screened each night since the opening of "Wish Tree for Pasadena" on August 2nd. However, due to a technical "malfunction" of the projector to show the film from the other side of the building, the plan was delayed until October 10th, '08. Hence, from October 10th to November 9th, which was the end date of the "Wish Tree" display, "ONOCHORD" had been screened three times at night; 8:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
When I again visited One Colorado in the evening of November 6th, "Wish Tree" was showing different appearances under the stars and the moon. The trees were shining purely in white in the morning light, whereas in the evening they were marvelously glowing in purple and green because of the spot lights around them. Also, with wish tags dancing in the wind on the 21 crape myrtle trees, the courtyard looked like a little orchard.
I was waiting for "ONOCHORD" to be projected on the screen around 8 p.m., but there was no sign of showing. When I asked the security guard at the courtyard, he told me that the projector had a malfunction again and the engineer was asked to come to fix the problem. Since October 10th, the film had been screened every night and had no problem till then, he said.
I patiently waited and waited, and right before 9 p.m., a familiar voice echoed in the darkness through the courtyard.
" Just for a moment, let's remind each other about love. "
Yoko's film, "ONOCHORD", with its title on the screen, started with the heavily echoed-sound of a heartbeat:
" Send the ONOCHORD message:
'I LOVE YOU'
by repeatedly blinking the light
in the frequencies and durations
required for the message. "
The One Colorado stores were still open, but there were not many people in the courtyard. However, when they noticed Yoko Ono on the screen, some of them stopped and started watching the film.
" The message I LOVE YOU in ONOCHORD is:
I i
LOVE ii
YOU' iii "
Yoko's message, " I LOVE YOU i ii iii ", echoed again and again over the "Wish Tree" orchard.
Wherever Yoko presents "ONOCHORD" - whether it is at her art shows or lectures or performances - Yoko usually provides "ONOCHORD" flashlights with the name of the city printed on them for that location. For example, "ONOCHORD TOKYO y.o. 2005", "ONOCHORD NYC y.o. 2006", "ONOCHORD LONDON y.o. 2008" and so on. However, for Pasadena, it was only her film showing and flashlights were not prepared.
" For individuals:
send the message by hand
I i
LOVE ii
YOU' iii "
Around the "Wish Tree" orchard, there were several couples watching "ONOCHORD". It was very impressive to see them holding hands with each other while listening to Yoko's message of love, as if they were saying, "We know what love is!"
The most characteristic feature of Yoko's art is its desire to communicate with the spectators. Lots of so-called prestigious avant-garde artwork tends to alienate the audience, and, as a result, a gap between the work and the audience seems to remain.
Yoko appears to have refused to have her work only appreciated on pedestals or in museums. Through her work, Yoko desires to have more direct communication with the audience, even through physical contact or conceptual involvement or both.
With "ONOCHORD", Yoko sends the message of love to everyone - no matter who and where you are - with light, which is the fastest medium among anything else. With the power and speed of light, no darkness can prevail, and it reaches all the way to the end of the world. And as the shortest distance between two dots is a straight line, the matter that connects two people most effectively is love.
Yoko makes very interesting comments in this documentary:
" We have to do it quickly. Because the other side is very fast.
I did not know how it was gonna be so fast.
And, now I have incredible sympathy for people who were in Berlin in 1940 around that time.
I always say that 'why didn't the intellectuals do something about it?' you know.
Now, I know. We are the intellectuals in America. "
Every soul enters this physical plane with a mission. It is not always easy to find out specifically what our mission is. But if we, the "intellectuals" who are in the know of love, realize and decide our mission is to prevail and cover the Earth with love, is there any more profound mission above that? Only those who do not know love, hate each other. We need to send the message of love to them.
On the other hand, recent news says that after Barack Obama was elected to be President in the USA, Americans hurriedly started buying guns in the fear that there would be more gun control during the Obama administration.
My dream is that one day people all over the world will start carrying Yoko's "ONOCHORD" flashlights, instead of a gun. Someday I'd like to see people flashing the "ONOCHORD" flashlights to one another, with the names of the cities they are living in printed on them. Every person would have an "ONOCHORD" flashlight in their pocket or as a key chain; and whenever they feel like sending the message of love to anyone or to the Universe, they can simply flash the light as " i ii iii ".
" Keep sending the message
everywhere on the Earth
and to the Universe.
Keep sending. "
It may not be too far in the future that the Earth will be recognized as the planet of love and light; with the lights of " i ii iii " intermittently emitted from the Earth, and the huge, columnar light coming from somewhere around Iceland.
" Starpeace, I see you growing
Starpeace, I see you glowing "
"STARPEACE' by Yoko Ono
From the Album "STARPEACE" ('85)
