Richard Layne just got back from London. Here are some photo highlights from his trip.
Yoko with Morning Beams!
(Note: Rubettes hat! Skull necklace!)
Yoko gets a word from her sponsors: CEO of Canon and head of Canon UK:
Yoko making a wish:
Yoko does Origami (seen her do that before? I haven't!)
Richard Layne reporting. All photos copyright R.Layne@ONOWEB/all rights reserved.
The press launch had about 30 people present, mainly photographers, journalists and representatives from Canon (the sponsors) and the City of London Festival. The only face I recognised was Nina Myskow.
Yoko was wearing a white Rubettes hat, and a skull necklace.
There was no Q&A - a brief statement from a guy in a dog collar from St Pauls (didn't catch his name), a representative from COLF (ditto) and the head of Canon UK (ditto)
Yoko spoke briefly: she said that she was pleased to be showing Morning Beams in St Pauls, but it's a non-denominational piece of art. We're all surrounded by beams: it's nice to be surrounded by light beams, not heavy ones.
On River Bed: we all decide Joy or Sorrow. Similar to when you cross from Life to Death - you choose where you go.
On Wish Tree: it has been shown in many different countries. All the wishes are being collected, and will at some point end up in a big tower in Iceland.
We then went up to see the art. Morning Beams is in one of the side trancepts of St Pauls: the sealing is very high, so it looks amazing. Yoko posed for photographs around the piece, then moved some stones. She was helped from the river bed by Nina Myskow.
The rest of the cathedral was open to the public, this area was cordoned off. But there were plenty of surprised tourists once they noticed what was happening.
We moved outside for Wish Tree: Yoko wrote a couple of wishes and tied them up. This area was open to the public, so a couple of families got their photos with Yoko.
Another piece in the exhibition is a collection of Origami birds by children: Yoko was asked to make a bird so did so.
She then left for lunch in Paternoster Square, hotly pursued by journos seeking some quality time with her.
The exhibit is open until July 13th.
FROM THE COLF.ORG WEBSITE AND PAMPHLET
St Paul's Cathedral
Morning Beams is a dramatic installation using rope to create the illusion of beams of light from a natural light source. The beams reach the floor where it shines onto River Bed, a 'river of life' made from pebbles. These works along with Wish Tree belong to a recent series of works created by Yoko which use elements from the natural world to enable the viewer to interact with her artwork. Sited in the North Transept of St Paul's, appropriately adjacent to Holman Hunts Light of the World, they create a environment of meditative reflection.
Morning Beams
Wish Tree
River BedYoko Ono
Ordinary Cathedral admission charges apply St Paul's