Close to 27 years after his death, John Lennon has been immortalized in a work of art designed by Yoko Ono and installed in Reykjavik, Iceland. The art work called the Imagine Peace Tower comprises a wishing well from which a tall tower of light shoots out to touch the sky. The surrounding ground bears the message “IMAGINE PEACE” in 24 languages.
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For Ono, the dedication of the Tower marked the fulfillment of a 40 year long dream. Lennon, according to his widow, loved the idea of a periodically lighting tower that would serve as a reminder of his anti war message, and even asked Ono, a survivor of Tokyo’s World War II bombings, to create one for his garden during one of their earliest encounters. On October 9, Ono accompanied by her son Sean, Ringo Starr and Olivia Harrison dedicated the Imagine Peace Tower to the memory of her slain husband and his message of peace.
Every year, the Imagine Peace Tower will be lit on October 9th, Lennon’s birthday right through December 8th, the day of his assassination. It will also be lit during the New Year, the first day of the spring season and a few other dates that will be decided upon by Yoko Ono and the City of Reykjavik. The artwork is a collaboration between Ono, the City of Reykjavik, the Reykjavik Art Museum, and Reykjavik Energy which will supply the energy to the Tower through its Hellishedi Geothermal Power Plant.