April Uprising, 1973

On April 1, price 1973, Yoko Ono and John Lennon held a press conference to tell the world about their imaginary place, a conceptual country called Nutopia, a place where the only law was the cosmic law. In those days the duo used their fame to create performance art, often based on the idealism that fueled their fire. They blamed pessimism for injustice, hoping their work would incite a peaceful uprising. (Though, just as it happened in centuries past, their idealism seemed to annoy as often as it inspired—more on this in Encyclopedia of the Exquisite.)

At the Nutopia press conference, Ono and Lennon waved white handkerchiefs and said, “This is a flag to Surrender to Peace,” as Ono recalls, “Not Fight for Peace, but ‘Surrender’ to Peace was the important bit.”

Now, over 30 years later, Ono still lives in Nutopia. Since I became her fan on facebook, I’ve been happy to receive a barrage of updates on her efforts to increase global happiness, inviting the rest of the world to join her there. One project I love especially is Onochord, described in the video below. (Stick with it—til around 6 min 50—and watch how audiences react to the idea.)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4m7qfemPc0[/youtube]