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YES Yoko Ono Press Conference April 16, 2004 at Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo
The YES Yoko Ono Press Conference was held in the press room within Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo on April 16, 2004. This was not the first Press Conference over YES Yoko Ono Japan tour. For another Press Conference was already held at Art Tower Mito in Mito-city in October 2003, the year before. So strictly speaking, this was the second Press Conference over the YES Yoko Ono Japan tour having Ms. Yoko Ono, the person in question. By the way, it happened to be the day that day(April 16, 2004) that not only Japan but also the rest of the world were happy and relieved at the great news that three Japanese hostages taken by Iraqi militants were released finally. There were about 30 reporters including me waiting in the press room for Yoko to show up.
At 3:13 PM, Yoko showed up from the backstage being navigated by Mr. Tetsuo Hamada, the president of Produce Center(Japan's Beatles Fan Club). No sooner had she showed up in the presence of the reporters than she drew applause from the reporters. She went onto the stage. The applause lasted for no less than 20 seconds, followed by the day's first photo session for the reporters. The sound of a number of cameras' releasing the shutter soon began to surround Yoko. I released the shutter, too, as many times as I could, with the other hand taping the scene with the video camera. I had my hands full. The days' first photo session lasted 40 seconds. But it was very difficult to take photos with the other hand doing another thing. The guests for the press conference were, Ms. Yoko Ono, the person in question, Ms. Alexandra Munroe who is the curator of Japan Society as well as the organizer of YES Yoko Ono exhibition, Mr. Frank Ellsworth, Japan Society's president, Mr. Jon Hendricks, a curator as well as an archivist of Yoko collection, and Mr. Yoichi Yamamoto, a vice-curator of this museum (Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo) and the interpreter was Ms. Kayoko Yokota.
Ms. Yoshimura was the host of the press conference.
The Press Conference actually went like this.
The host (Ms. Yoshimura) : (in Japanese) We are going to start YES Yoko Ono Press Conference right now. I am the host of this press conference. My name is Ms. Yoshimura, the manager with Gakuyu section of Museum Of Contemporary Art, Tokyo. Thank you. Mr. Yoichi Yamomoto, the vice-curator of Museum Of Contemporary Art, Tokyo is going to deliver an opening address right now.
Mr. Yoichi Yamamoto (the vice-curator of Museum Of Contemporary Art, Tokyo ): (in Japanese) Well, er, thank you, each one of you very much for coming over to this press conference. I'm very happy that so many people got together. I take it that this museum could not be any more honored to have the Ms. Yoko Ono actually at the opening ceremony (which would take place in the same room later on that day ). We are very happy to hold YES Yoko Ono exhibition in our museum. We would like to thank Ms. Munroe, the curator of Japan Society and the other persons concerned. I'd like to close my opening address by saying that we will try to manage our museum somehow so that visitors will be moved by the works and will get a kick out of the works. Thank you very much.
(applause)
The host (Ms. Yoshimura) : (in Japanese) The next person is one of the organizers. Mr. Frank Ellsworth with Japan Society in New York is going to deliver an opening address. Over to you, Mr. Ellsworth.
Frank Ellsworth : (in English) First, I'd like to thank all of you, people for coming here and being with us today. It is very exciting for Japan Society to open our (??) Tokyo showing of YES Yoko Ono at the Museum of Contemporary Art. We are grateful to Asahi Newspapers and consortium of Japanese museums that made this historic tour of one of Japan's most brilliant and important artists of our age possible. We are confident that the show will be a stunning success in Tokyo, Yoko's city of birth and we believe you'll have everlasting (??) in part on the study of the appreciation of Japanese avant-garde artists who shaped international mainstream culture.
Japan Society which celebrates its hundredth anniversary in 2007. It's the only institution in the United States that offers in depth of modilephase(??) programs. They'd introduced the highest achievements of Japanese traditional contemporary arts in culture and most current trends in Japan-US business in policy issues to be American public. Increasingly programs of Japan Society explore Japan and broader and more complex context of East Asia. That's in our spring 2003 exhibition that'll (or that ?) introduce ( or introduced ??) early Buddhist arts for Korea and Japan. We also increasingly focused on contemporary arts in culture and invite all view ( or viewers??) to visit our coming shows of retrospective photographer, Tomatsu Shomei and an ex-exploration (??) of contemporary "Otaku Culture" (= Nerd Culture, or Geek Culture) by Takashi Murakami.
(FYI)
Tomatsu Shomei http://www.artfacts.net/index.php/pageType/instInfo/inst/2379
http://www.sfmoma.org/press/aes_template.asp
http://lib.radford.edu/Information/newbook/comp_2001.html
Takashi Murakami
http://www.zeroland.co.nz/artists_5.html
In our long history as a central for Japanese arts in America, the retrospective YES Yoko Ono is our first exhibition ever to travel to Japan. This award winning show which opened our New York museum in 2000 has attracted the sum of (??) six hundred thousand visitors and millions of small(?? =messages ?? ) through press coverage over to eleven-city tour in United States, Canada, South Korea and Japan. We hoped it was the first of many exchanges for our museum partners in Japan. On behalf of Japan Society, I thank congratulatory Yoko for extraordinary achievement and for her extraordinary inspiration.
Yoko's art, her spirit, her life speaks to peace and love. And the time loss(??) when our world is troubled with war and pain. Yoko's vision of peace is a ballad (??) today as it's always been. The exhibition's been organized by the scholar, curator, Alexandra Munroe, Japan Society vice-president arts in culture who (???????) words to introduce the artist.
Alexandra Munroe : (in English) Thank you very much. Arigatogozaimasu. (=Thank you very much.) I would first very much like to express my great thanks and respect, er, for the Asahi newspapers and for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo for presenting in most excellent installation of YES Yoko Ono here in Tokyo. And I hope your museum will break all attendance records. I also very much wanted to thank my partner, consulting curator, Jon Hendricks, great scholar of Yoko Ono's work and the Fluxus and art movement. Er, for all his contributions to the exhibition and our joint studies of Yoko Ono's art and life. His, er, contributions to each installation now eleven cities has been, is, so valuable and successful a show. Thank you, Jon.
Many of you have asked how this exhibition came about. And the idea to organize the first major multimedia retrospective of Yoko Ono's work arose from the research in exhibition which I organized at Yokohama Museum of Art in 1994. Er, postwar Japanese avant-garde art, "Scream Against the Sky". Er, and this show which toward New York and San Francisco included several works by Yoko Ono and the title, "Scream Against the Sky" was taken from 1961 work by Yoko. And our research began in 1995 and the show opened at Japan Society Gallery in New York in 2000. We are commitment to modern and contemporary Japanese art is very strong.(???) It was a great honor for Japan society that yet...... Cough Piece desuka? ( = Is that Cough Piece? ) (Some in the press room laugh.)
(Yoko all of a sudden begins to have a fit of coughing. Being aware of that, Muroe said to Yoko in Japanese after Yoko's work, "Cough Piece", "Is that Cough Piece?" )Yoko replies in jest in Japanese, "Soudesu (= Yes, it is.)
Great honor for Japan Society that YES Yoko Ono received the first prize from the best show, er, in 2000 awarded by International Art Critic Association.
As I mentioned of stereos to(??) many of you, the aim of the exhibition is primarily twofold. To position, to explore, er, Yoko Ono's, er, seminal role, er, highly original influential role in the evolution in the development of postwar international avant-garde art, er, pacifically the Fluxus, conceptional art, performance art, avant-grade film-making, feminist art, installation art, and avant-garde music. Er, secondly, er, we're very interested in exploring Yoko's, er, very special role as a catalyst, as a medium, as a transmitter of East Asian art and thought to the international avant-garde and encounter that profoundly shaped the development of artistic practice and artistic philosophy. In Japan, the exhibition takes on our (???) remarkable and significant meaning, er, because we are really bringing Yoko back, er, writing (???) her back into the history of avant-garde postwar and contemporary art history here in Japan.
Er, I'm also very pleased that Asahi newspapers are in conjunction with the contortion (???) of, er, Japanese museums presenting the tour here have produced a superb catalogue which is an abridgement of the original English catalogue published by Japan Society in April in 2003. And together these contribute vast, er, to the knowledge and the research on Yoko Ono's art and life and to the history of the international postwar avant-garde and contemporary art in general and art you (???) to study the book me (???) very pleased with its production. Thank you.
Er, finally I feel for (???) we are celebrating here today is really nothing short of historic which is the return at the recognition of a great artist into the high common (???) Japanese art. Er, Yoko, I'm still to extend my great thanks to you for this year's extraordinary collaboration and for your abiding (???) inspiration. Thank you very much.
The host (Ms. Yoshimura) : (in Japanese) Thank you very much. Well, the next person is the author of this exhibition. Ms. Yoko Ono is she....... Excuse me. I'm sorry. I had the wrong person. Well, I mean the next person is Mr. Jon Hendricks. He is the consulting curator of this exhibition.
Jon Hendricks : (in English) Thank you, thank you very much of speak which (??) welcome. I first met this remarkable woman, Yoko Ono in 1965 in New York when we did the exhibition called "The Stone Johnson gallery" (??), tiny space like a kind of cellar. And I was bold over (??) (=intimidated) by her mind into her imagination and creativity. I still am. It's such a thrill to be able to see Yoko's work here in this great museum in Tokyo, capital (??) Japan. And I think it's just wonderful if she can be here. I think it's right.
So thank you, Alexandra. Thank you, Yoko. Thank you, MOT(Museum Of contemporary art, Tokyo) and Asahi paper, other media (???)
(applause)
The host (Ms. Yoshimura) : (in Japanese) Thank you very much. Now, this time it's really your turn, Ms. Ono. Would you deliver an opening address?
Yoko Ono : (in Japanese) Konchiwa (= Hello) Well, since I have never returned to Japan like this way, I feel a kind of nervous. However, while I was out of Japan, I experienced numerous things, and created numerous things from the experiences. If they encourage Japanese people and also inspire Japanese people, I will be happy. And also, it is very frantic times now. (Maybe Yoko implies the world is so frantic now enough to bring on a war in some parts of the world.) The more frantic times it is, all the more deeply you feel the importance of art. For in my opinion, politics has a position, and on the other hand, art does not have a position because art is international. With its beauty and its energy, art can make it possible for everyone to communicate with one another and give something to one another. That's, I think, what an artist thinks of. Hence if, in that sense, this (=this YES Yoko Ono exhibition) can go a long way toward anything (for you, Japanese people), I will be happy. So if you have any questions, please feel free to let me know by all means.
(applause)
The host (Ms. Yoshimura) : (in Japanese) Thank you very much. Speaking of which, we have Ms. Kayoko Yokota for the interpreter of the day. Now we start question time. As I said a little while ago, questions will have to be limited to Ms. Ono's works and her art activities. Now, if you have a question, please raise your hand.
(Some raise their hand. )
Well, now, the lady in the blue-striped jacket.
Questioner (Nikkei Woman) : (in Japanese) Thank you for being with us today. I am Ms. Saho of Nikkei Woman (Japan Economics Women's mag.). Well, if you would explain a little more correctly your thought and your message which you have conveyed in YES Yoko Ono Exhibition and the three letters of YES in the work, I would be grateful. Thank you.
Yoko Ono : (in Japanese) OK. Well, in other words, "to think of YES" means "not to think of NO". Everyone finds me very optimistic. They often say to me that I am a bit too optimistic. But I am not uttering "YES" only purposelessly. When we save ourselves from something, eventually the only way will be to think of "YES". On the other hand, to think of "NO" is to take a negative view of life. That is, it is to waste time. So it is, so to speak, a very stupid play to think of "NO". When we have to save ourselves together, we will just not be able to help thinking of everything as affirmative. I think that's how everything goes. To think of "YES" is not to utter "YES" just purposelessly, but to make an effort positively to the limit.
Questioner (Nikkei Woman) : (in Japanese) Thank you very much.
The host (Ms. Yoshimura) : (in Japanese) Okay, is everything clear ? Now, the person in the front.
Questioner (Yukan Fuji) : (in Japanese) I am a writer with Yukan Fuji (Evening paper Fuji) and the web site called "Woman". Well, I think New York is the place which brings millions of ideas and produces millions of works. I am wondering whether or not New York is the start point of art works(= the root and source of art works). And also, your own place in New York........
Yoko Ono : (in Japanese) Sorry? What did you say? ( I cannot hear you clearly.)
Questioner (Yukan Fuji) : (in Japanese) Okay, I'll repeat. I think New York is the place which brings millions of ideas. Is New York the start point (= the root, the source) of the idea of a work ? How do Ms. Yoko Ono in New York and Ms. Yoko Ono in Japan have a vision respectively ? What does it mean to you for you to live in New York ?
Yoko Ono : (in Japanese) I don't think New York is always the source of a work. Eventually,........ Seeing myself say "Eventually" many times, I'm wondering what's wrong with me. [smile] The universe is the source.
Questioner (Yukan Fuji) : (in Japanese) Can the source that produces art be anywhere ? Otherwise, does the source of a work have nothing to do with the place which produced the work ?
Yoko Ono : (Ii Japanese) It has nothing to do with the place. Rather, strictly speaking, as a matter of fact, it has something to do with the place. Yet it refers to every place in the universe. The source includes every place. (That is, the source of the work may have to do with the place which produces the work, but after all, seeing things in perspective, the universe is the source of everything.)
The host (Ms. Yoshimura) : (in Japanese) Any other question ?
Questioner (Geijutsu Shuppansya) : (in Japanese) Well, good afternoon. I am Mr. Arai of Geijutsu Shuppansya(Art Publishing company). Well, I think you are one of the pioneers of (the blend of )the high art and the pop culture which are trendy today. In what way do you evaluate yourself as of that time looking back on those days ? And also, how do you find the stream of time like that ?
Yoko Ono : (in Japanese) "And also".....? What did you say ? I wasn't able to catch the last part.
Questioner (Geijutsu Shuppansya) : (in Japanese) Eh! In what way do you evaluate the blend of the pop culture and the high art which is trendy today ?
Yoko Ono : (in Japanese) I don't analyze very much what today's trendy art is like. It appears I'm just living.(=I go my own way without getting lost by such other trendy art). So all I do is to express the image instinctively which I have in mind.
Questioner (Geijutsu Shuppansya) : (in Japanese) For instance, looking back on the past, how do you feel ?
Yoko Ono : (in Japanese) Eh! Looking back ? I don't look back on the past very much.
(Some in the press room laugh.)
The host (Ms. Yoshimura) : (in Japanese) Okay. Any other question ? Now, the gentleman right here.
Questioner (J-Wave) : (in Japanese) Well, I am Mr. Matsuo of J-Wave(radio station). I'm afraid this might be a question that everybody has been talking about. "YES" is the title of this exhibition. There is "YES Painting"(Ceiling Painting), the namesake of this exhibition, which has the famous episode that you and John met at Indica gallery in 1966. Everybody knows the episode by book. If you would tell the story anew, that is, the more correct conversation, your first impression of John and so on, I would be very grateful.
Yoko Ono : (in Japanese) That sounds like a question from some fanzine. (Some in the press room laugh.) It was about one hour before the show started when everything was ready and all we had to do was wait for the opening time to come that the owner of Indica gallery all of a sudden came in with loud footsteps with that guy(=John Lennon). I couldn't understand why the owner did such a thing. For I had told the owner in advance not to let anyone in until the opening time. I had thought the owner was very understanding about an artist's feelings, always considered an artist's feelings and never failed to follow such an artist's advice. It gave me a little bit an unpleasant feeling for the owner to come in noisily with that guy(=John Lennon). Speculating that the guy(=John Lennon) might have been a good friend of the owner's, I thought the owner couldn't help it. The guy(=John Lennon) was dashing in some way and apparently he mentioned that he had just returned from Spain. More correctly, in their conversation at that time, I overheard the owner saying to the guy(=John Lennon), "You've just been to Spain, haven't you ?". And then two of them went down stairs together. The venue consisted of the ground floor and the basement. I went down stairs, as well and saw them standing in front of "Painting To Hammer A Nail" and looking fixedly at the work. Until the opening time of the show, "Painting To Hammer A Nail" was just a totally white rectangular object made of wood ( i.e, There were no nails hammered into it yet). It was just like a new canvas but actually a different thing from what we call a canvas. Two of them were looking hard at it together. Since I was not such a type of a person as approaches rashly, keeping some distance from them, I was standing a little bit far from them. And then saying to him, "That lady is the artist.", the owner introduced me to the guy(=John Lennon). And also, saying, "This person is Mr. what's - his - name ", the owner introduced him to me. It appeared the owner said his name ambiguously on purpose lest his name be caught correctly. I was not such a type of a person as says, "What did you say ?" (in such a situation as in front of a total stranger.), I just said, "Uh - huh". And then the guy(=John Lennon) said to me, "May I hammer a nail now ?" And I talked back to him to say, "Since it's before the opening time for now, you may not do such a thing as that yet."
(Some in the press room giggle.)
He said, "Oh". Seeing his reaction, I began to feel a little bit sorry for him. At last I dared to say to him, "If you pay 5 shillings, you may hammer a nail." For two days before, I had thought that each of my art works was conceptual so after all nobody could buy one actually and I was wondering how I would be able to make my living as an artist. In the case of art works by a professional artist, each of the works has got to have something, i.e., its value in itself. I had been groping for a method of how I would be able to deal in the value of my work with a visitor. I had thought of a visitor paying something like the admission (fee) every time he/she does something with the wok. I had found the suggestion expedient. Since I just remembered the suggestion, I said, "5 shillings" then. As a matter of fact, I didn't know that actually the guy(=John Lennon) did not have money with him at that time until afterwards. He said to me, "May I hammer a conceptual nail ?" I said, "Be my guest." That was how we met. After looking around the other different works, lastly he climbed the ladder and looked in the magnifying glass. After climbing down the ladder, he gave a wry smile saying a word like "humph" instead of saying, "Isn't that nice ?" and anything like that. He was just tittering without saying a word, only to go home. After he left the venue, I went back to the basement and saw all the students of the art school called St. Martin's there who had helped me display the works. They were all finished with displaying them finally, worn out from the hard work, and reposing themselves on the floor. And then one of them said, "Wasn't that guy Mr. So-and so ?" I said, "Eh ? What ?" He said this clearly, "John Lennon. A member of the Beatles". I said, "Oh, really ?". He said, "Yes, it's he if I'm not mistaken." I said, "Dear me." Anyway my show at Indica gallery was something very eccentric, very amusing and very different for some reason and by some stream of atmosphere. Mick Jagger came to my show for some reason. And so did Roman Polanski. He came with Sharon Tate. Sharon Tate is not a very pleasant lady on the screen, but she was a tremendously delicate, sensitive and beautiful lady at the gallery. Numerous prominent people visited my show like them. So in that sense, that was a amusing, special, and haunting show(The show meant a lot to me.). I did not realize that as of that time yet, though. Is everything okay ?
<< (NOTE) When she was answering that question, Yoko was the most talkative during the press conference and looking back on those days nostalgically. Most Beatles fans have had an earful of this episode. But we got the chance to get to know the episode inside out and in fine detail. Especially who could expect that the then-already billionaire, Beatle John Lennon happened to have no change(money) with him on this important day in history ? >>
Questioner (J-Wave) : (in Japanese) Thank you very much.
The host (Ms. Yoshimura) : (in Japanese) Okay. Well, next question? Now, that lady in the second row.
Questioner (Nikkei Woman) : (in Japanese) Thank you for being with us today. I am Ms. Miyamoto of Nikkei Woman(Japan Economics Women's magazine). In the catalogue which I got today, I found this message, "A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality." The message came home to my mind a lot. And, well, what is your dream that you have envisioned ? What is it that you would like to turn into reality right now for the future ? That is my question.
Yoko Ono : (in Japanese) Well, Japan experienced a lost battle which could not have been the bitterer experience. As a Japanese citizen, I am also one of those who experienced those trying days. The experience and also the tragedy in Hiroshima-city had been bringing it home to me that there was nothing worse than a war since I was a child. On the other hand, John was born in the dead of the air strikes on Liverpool. A number of fighters were flying around above the maternity ward. He was born while the city of Liverpool was attacked by the fighters. Thanks to the experiences, John and I both really hated a war way from the bottom of our hearts. So, well, I think it is human race's dream which is the biggest dream(the final dream). Of course, a dream varies from person to person. For instance, some may dream of buying fancy shoes and some may dream of purchasing a fancy car, especially men do. Such dreams as those are possible, though. The final dream, the true dream, in which I might be persistent, is for human race to be able to continue to live. In that manner, I will continue to be optimistic. Well, the word, "optimistic" may not be a good choice of a word in that sense. Anyway I will try to make it by all means and whatever happens. We will try to make it all together.
<< (NOTE) I've got a feeling that the reason why Yoko said that the word, "optimistic" may not have been a good choice of a word in that sense is that in a dictionary in Japan, "rakkanteki" is the Japanese translation of the word and there is a subtle nuance between "optimistic" and "rakkanteki" for "Rakkanteki" sounds to Japanese people not so much "undaunted" and "positive" as "easygoing" and "upbeat". >>
Questioner (Nikkei Woman) : (in Japanese) Thank you very much.
The host (Ms. Yoshimura) : (in Japanese) Anyone else? Now, that gentleman in the first row.
Questioner (Asahi Newspaper) : (in Japanese) I am Mr. Obuchi of Asahi Newspaper. Recently I got a chance to visit the exhibition in Mito-city and it impressed me that not only do your works satirize the social systems and the government but also quest for such a physical phenomenon as (the relation between) time and space, say, ultimate freedom. I have the assumption. Would you define "freedom" for your part ?
Yoko Ono : (in Japanese) I think eventually "freedom" leads to "the possibility". Isn't the purpose of "freedom" to quest for the possibility eventually ? I have the will to quest for the possibility in the future with everyone all together.
The host (Ms. Yoshimura) : (in Japanese) Is that okay? Well, now, the closing time is pending (=approaching). I'm afraid we can accept two more people.
Questioner (TV Asahi) : (in Japanese) I am Mr. Uchida with TV Asahi. Thank you for being with us today. Well, I think the attraction of your works is, in a way, to be interactive (between the artist and the viewers). When you(everyone) stand in front of your work, you(everyone) just cannot stop feeling very responsible for the work. "Freedom" was dealt with in the previous question, though. I think "freedom" entails "responsibility". In other words, no "responsibility", no "freedom". If you would tell me how you feel about it, I would be grateful. That is my question.
Yoko Ono : (in Japanese) "Responsibility" is not so much "a moral sense" as "a sense of responsibility for yourself". "A sense of responsibility for oneself" eventually leads to the thought that if others don't benefit, you will not benefit, either. (=In other words, it is unrealistic for only you to profit.) That is a very rational thought. That will do. Well, speaking of which, I had been brought up in the environment with immense power since a very young child. This does not mean I had the power. This means the people around me had the power. For instance, the Yasuda combine did. And also, Ono's family line did have the power of intelligence. I felt the tremendous power to be raised in such an environment as that and surrounded by such people as those. And also, later I met the Beatles. The power of the Beatles was immeasurable, as well. I guess it was fated that I meet two kinds of enormous power. I learned numerous things from them. What I learned is in short that power is very formidable. If you use power wisely, it will be a competent thing. But if you use power wrongly, it will be a dangerous weapon. Power can trouble others or go a long way toward others, depending on how you use it. I think power dominates us in that sense. Unless you use the power you have as wisely as you can instead of selfishly, you will lose. That is, you will destroy yourself, and vise versa. That is, to destroy yourself means to use power wrongly. Let's use our power carefully and cheerfully one another. The word of "responsibility" which you(the questioner) gave is a very difficult word. In what way it is a very difficult word is that the word can incur a misunderstanding easily. There is the danger that the word will be taken as the meaning of "a moral sense". The word of "responsibility" is rational. ("A moral sense" may not always be rational depending on the situation.)
The host (Ms. Yoshimura) : (in Japanese) Now, I'm afraid the next question will have to be the last one. Anyone ?
Questioner (Asahi Newspaper) : (in Japanese) I am Mr. Tanaka with Asahi Newspaper. Well, in Japan this exhibition has gone around Mito-city and Hiroshima-city thus far. I believe that in Mito-city, you, Ms. Ono actually saw the exhibition on the spot. This exhibition in Tokyo has the extra. That is, the "Installation art work". How do you find this exhibition in Tokyo in comparison with the one in Mito-city ? If you scale this one in Tokyo, how many points will you give yourself out of 100 ? How do you find it that in this venue here in Tokyo the work called "Morning beams", which is an installation art work, was added to the exhibition anew ?
<< (NOTE) "Morning beams", which is an installation art work, is pretty large enough to take up space, and on the Japan tour, only this venue in Tokyo displays the work while the other venues in Japan does not. Only this venue in Tokyo has a large room to accommodate the work. >>
Yoko Ono : (in Japanese) In our society, you(=everybody/one/they/we) tend to compare easily. I find it very dangerous. However, maybe that comes from competition. So, for instance, a person who likes John won't find Paul very competent in comparison with John.
(Some in the press room laugh.)
On the other hand, a person who likes Paul won't find John very competent in comparison with Paul. This way, you(=everybody/one/they/we) cannot stop comparing.
However, as a matter of fact, you cannot make a true and fair comparison because every person has the person's own uniqueness and so does everything. What is a comparison ? If you compare between the same things, you can make the comparison. For example, if this one is a big apple and this other a small apple, you can. On the other hand, if one is an apple and the other scissors, you cannot make the comparison. This way, everybody is no more everybody else and so different from one another (as an apple is different from the scissors.) That's why you (=everybody/one/they/we) are each important. In what way are you(=everybody/one/they/we) important ? In what way is the uniqueness important? It is important to our society. This society with these very different and unique kinds of power is beautiful. With the beauty and the power, let's make our flower come out well! That's what I meant.
The host (Ms. Yoshimura) : (in Japanese) Thank you very much. That's all. I'm afraid we'll have to close the press conference now. Once again, thank you very much.
(applause)
(The End)
Yoko Ono + Japan 2004 report ~ intro and books ~ presstour ~ pressconferencetranscript ~ officialceremony ~ lecture ~ events
