SandraFrazier.com
The Official Web site of Sandy Frazier
Artist,
Musician and Writer
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Yoko Ono on the Periphery By Sandra Frazier April 27, 2006 Last evening I attended a special memorial
event celebrating the life and work of the famous Korean artist Nam June Paik (1932-2006) at the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan.
Speakers included Jonas Mekas, Russell Connor, Shuya Abe, and Wulf
Herzogenrath, with presentations by Thomas Krens, Merce Cunningham, Shigeko
Kubota, David Ross and Lisa Phillips in a program organized by John G.
Hanhardt, Senior Curator of Film and Media Arts, Guggenheim Museum, with Ken
Paik Hakuta, Manager of the Nam June Paik Studios. The highlight of the evening was Yoko Ono's
special performance of her work 'Promise Piece-Bones,' in tribute to
Paik. Reminiscent of a Fluxus event, a happening of sorts, Yoko's tribute to Paik consisted
of the
CLICK HERE TO
SEE THE FLICKR SLIDESHOW famous "Yoko shriek," her own form
of poetry, and two hooded women all in black arranging broken fragments of a
huge vase portrayed as a background piece on the makeshift stage. And then Yoko quietly invited everyone to
come forth and then simply started knitting what appeared to be a blue sweater
while everyone gathered around her, picking up pieces of the pottery. The broken pieces of vase probably
represented aspects of Paik - something each person could take away as a
memento. Mine has what looks like a
date written on the back. It was moving. They wouldn't allow flashes on cameras, so my photos came out
with strange ghostly images. Yoko
appeared icy, guarded, yet still poised - very small and thin, but beautiful
in her own way. Oft misunderstood by
the world, she nonetheless continues to do what Yoko does best -
externalizing her feelings via her conceptual performance art, which is
universal; and as always, she invites us to take it apart and put it back
together in our own way prompting the creative impulse in each of us. Her security was understandably protective,
although almost the entire evening, I was only a few feet away from her as
she allowed the people in the audience to photograph and film her for about
15-20 minutes. It felt like a kind of
religious ceremony. I could sense the
otherworldly energy in that room (the hairs on my arms were literally
standing on end!) - the murmuring as she sat there peacefully knitting almost
unaware of the cameras, cell phones and DVD recorders all focused on her as
the crowd pushed like a wave toward her to glimpse of the Japanese-American
icon.
In her prolific 40-year-plus career, she has
moved us to rethink the norm; she gives us suggestions that are simple, yet
seem impulsive and offers us a new angle, a new way to look at things. This is not to mention her role in the postwar
international avant-garde, and her critical and influential role in
originating forms of avant-garde art, music, film, and performance, her early
and central role in the Fluxus movement (an event that is
in flux or constantly moving and changing such as suggested by proposal
pieces, propositions, or instructions); her important contributions to Conceptual
Art in New York, London and Tokyo; her concerts; experimental films; vocal
recordings; public art, including works made with John Lennon; and recent works,
including interactive installations and site-specific art. Yoko also collaborated with such avant-garde figures as John
Cage, George Maciunas, the recently deceased Nam June Paik, Charlotte Moorman
and Andy Warhol on objects and installations; language works, such as
instruction pieces and scores; film and video; music; and performance
art. Some of her more famous works are known as: GRAPEFRUIT: The
Early Instructions HALF-A-WIND: Early
Objects FLY: Events,
Performances & Films WAR IS OVER!: The
Peace Movement & Other Collaborations with John Lennon PLAY IT BY TRUST:
Recent Work ...and, of course,
CEILING PAINTING, an important work shown at her historic 1966 Indica Gallery
show in London. I was always inspired by Yoko from the time
I was a teenager when I read "One Day at a
Time," by Anthony Fawcett - a candid biopic of John
& Yoko during the prime of their lives and popularity. They were
involved... in EVERYTHING! They were
controversial. They were naïve and
idealistic. They were important and
outspoken... and most of all, vulnerable. Their biographer at the time, Anthony Fawcett, was more than
sympathetic; he was privileged to find himself involved at a time when the
magic of John Lennon transcended who he even understood he was. They'd sit around basement macrobiotic
restaurants talking about their next "Event," their current
projects, and everything was exciting and inspiring. From the time they created their twin
"sculptures" - as Yoko put it: "two acorns planted in the
ground, one facing to the East, the other to the West... [symbolizing] our
meeting and love for each other, and also the uniting and growth of our two
cultures" - to the bed-ins in Amsterdam and billboard events around the
world, everything they did was ingenious and smart, fresh and alive. What captivated me was not only the innocent way in which Yoko
inspired John Lennon, but just how creative she was and how she had a way of
looking at things as though anything in the world is possible. She set no limitations or boundaries on
anyone or anything and I'm sure it was difficult for the popular crowd to
accept her in a world of, as John put it, "Yeah Yeah Yeahs" and
"loveable moptops." John
and Yoko thrust themselves headlong into a cruel world of politics and
protest only to come to the realization that the threats to their own
survival and freedom were becoming all too real. It started to hurt too much and John's very real financial
woes from being mismanaged during the Beatles years, their own addictions,
dealing with the primal pain of childhood remembrance, and coming together
out of sheer loneliness all had yet to be dealt with. They no longer could afford to carry the
pain of the world on their shoulders and so they withdrew - to heal and reflect. When they re-emerged in 1980, they were more than ready to
give it another go; they were healthy, strong and full of energy and new
ideas. "Double Fantasy," their new
record, was a collaboration that reflected their love for each other, their
two separate yet complimentary roles in the relationship, and most
importantly, their love for their newborn son, Sean. Thus, they were able to give us a glimpse
into the special little world they'd created together and how they'd healed
each other's pain in therapy through love and understanding, artistic and
musical collaboration, and then they taught us to simply "Imagine." I've always held a soft spot in my heart for Yoko because I
believe she's a special soul. John
knew it and hoped the world would know it, too, and discover the beauty and
light inside Yoko the way he had. Read more about John Lennon, the creative process, and how he
and Yoko inspired her in Sandra Frazier's book, "The Mystic
Artist" - out in paperback. See Sandy's song in tribute to
John Lennon, written in December, 1980 - inspired by Yoko who stated at the
time of Lennon's death, "John loved and prayed for the human race -
let's pray for him," and then called for 10 minutes of silence. "Let's Save the Human
Race"
Yoko Ono's peace obelisk to Reykjavik, Iceland The column will be an illuminated column of glass, full of
wishes of peace from people all over the world. "...breathe..." d
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