Imagine a World at Peace

Image from Kyodo News’ coverage of the “Bed-In for Peace” exhibit at Tower Records in Shibuya.

Rafu Wire and Staff Reports

Tower Records in Shibuya, Tokyo, has opened an exhibit remembering John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s antiwar performance, “Bed-In for Peace,” on the 37th anniversary of the former Beatles musician’s death.

The exhibit, which runs from Dec. 8 to Jan. 8, 2018, features journalist Gerry Deiter’s photos of the couple’s peace-promoting response to the Vietnam War, which they performed from the bed of a Canadian hotel during their honeymoon in 1969.

By climbing into a bed installed before a replica of the backdrop famously featuring the words “Hair Peace” and “Bed Peace,” visitors can hold a “Bed-In for Peace” of their own at the show.

In New York City, the 37th annual John Lennon Tribute, the only such concert in North America or Europe that is officially sanctioned by Ono, was presented by Theatre Within on Dec. 1.

Patti Smith received the 2017 John Lennon Real Love Award for her artistic excellence and positive social impact, and there was a multi-artist live performance of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” celebrating the 50th anniversary of the album’s release.

In Reykjavik, Iceland, the Imagine Peace Tower will be lit from Dec. 21 to 31. It is lit annually on those dates as well as Oct. 9 to Dec. 8 (from Lennon’s birthday until the day of his death), Feb. 18 (Ono’s birthday), and March 20 (their wedding anniversary) to 27. The tower remains lit from sunset to midnight, except for the two birthdays and New Year’s Eve, when it stays on until sunrise.

Ono was in Iceland on Oct. 9 to relight the tower on the occasion of Lennon’s 77th birthday.

“Remember, each one of us has the power to change the world,” she said at the time. “Power works in mysterious ways. We don’t have to do much. Visualize the domino effect and just start thinking PEACE. Thoughts are infectious. Send it out. The message will circulate faster than you think.”

The tower was conceived by Ono and dedicated on Oct. 9, 2007.

On Dec. 8, she tweeted, “Peace starts at home. Start being peaceful in your heart.”