John Lennon and Yoko Ono 'Acorns for Peace' planting at Coventry Cathedral

Times: Start 2pm, finish 2.45pm.

This workshop will follow the circuitous routes of specific acorns linked to the cathedral. John Lennon and Yoko Ono unexpectedly showed up at the cathedral in June 1968, to enter their ‘living sculpture’ into the prestigious Exhibition of British Sculpture, held in the ruins of the cathedral, including the works of Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, which coincided with an international conference on ‘People and Cities’. The question of space was central to the exhibition and the conference, as it was to John and Yoko’s living sculpture. Their ‘Acorns for Peace’, for the East (from John to Yoko) and the West (from Yoko to John), were planted outside the exhibition, on the grass outside the Chapel of Unity, constituting an event, which enfolded further when the acorns were moved soon after, by the cathedral, and soon stolen by a fan.
John and Yoko went on expand the practice, by sending two acorns with a letter asking for world, to leaders all over the world. Yoko has continued to send them to prominent leaders, such as Barack Obama and has also installed the correspondences in an exhibition. In an interesting turn of events, the acorns were found this year in the office drawer of a retiring police officer. This work will be based on sharing and building out of the story, centring the notion of living sculptures, with speakers and specialists from the worlds of music, art and ecology.

Timings & Tours

Saturday 14 September:

1400-1445

Location & directions

Coventry Cathedral, St Michael's Ave, Coventry, West Midlands, CV1 5AB

Contact on day:

Welcome Team

Telephone number:

+442476521232

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Pre-booking not required

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