YOKO ONO AT THE COSMOPOLITAN OF LAS VEGAS
Press Release
YOKO ONO
Presented by The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas & Art Production Fund
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas recently introduced an enhanced digital lobby experience, and in February 2015 the 2,995-room luxury resort at the center of The Strip will present IMAGINE PEACE by artist and activist Yoko Ono. The public art project is presented in partnership with Art Production Fund. The new work further expands on The Cosmopolitan’s aim to inspire and surprise guests with their dynamic visual arts program.
IMAGINE PEACE is Yoko Ono’s ongoing worldwide initiative of anti-violence that uses Internet projects and presence, posters, thoughts, badges and a variety of other media to communicate its message of peace to the global community. Located in highly trafficked locations, the installation aims to spread awareness and encourage the community to take responsibility and promote worldwide peace.
IMAGINE PEACE is associated with Ono’s IMAGINE PEACE TOWER in Reykjavik, Iceland, an outdoor tower of light emanating wisdom, peace and joy. The words IMAGINE PEACE are inscribed on the well of the tower in 24 different languages. Dedicated to Lennon by Ono on Oct. 9, 2007, Lennon’s 67th birthday, the IMAGINE PEACE project symbolizes Ono’s and Lennon’s continuing campaign for world peace, which began in the sixties and will continue forever.
Ono’s installation inside The Cosmopolitan features the words IMAGINE PEACE in 24 different languages, fading in and out of a blue sky in a slowly changing cloudscape for three minutes of footage running on the lobby columns and registration desks’ displays. The soundtrack for the installation is an instrumental version of the iconic John Lennon song, IMAGINE.
The video architecture of the installation space at The Cosmopolitan was originally designed by Rockwell Group and realized through compelling digital narratives produced in collaboration with Digital Kitchen, digital art by renowned contemporary artists curated in partnership with Art Production Fund and generative content that is algorithmically determined as it is being displayed.
In this instance, Ono’s video installation was designed and created completely by her, specifically for this installation space. It will also be featured on The Cosmopolitan’s 65-foot Strip-side digital marquee and other LED signs creating a resort-wide experience. In 2010, Ono launched the PAUSE program at the resort with a version on IMAGINE PEACE that was displayed on all Times Square art digital marquees as part of the Times Square Moment: A Digital Gallery.
In addition to featuring Ono’s digital artwork, The Cosmopolitan will feature Ono’s interactive installation, Wish Tree. Guests will be able to write and hang their wishes on a live tree inside the resort's Sahra Spa and Hamman. Following this installation, the collected wishes will be sent to Ono to be housed at the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER site, while the tree will be planted within the local community.
Recently, The Cosmopolitan enhanced the technology behind the installation to include 408 new LCD displays with nearly 100 new computers working together to deliver content to bezel-less, smart displays packing in over 100 million pixels on each column, with each face having 12 times better resolution than a single HD channel. Similar to the New York Stock Exchange’s display system, the lobby control system’s intelligent, fully-redundant design allows for uninterrupted playback by self-monitoring and automatically switching to backup hardware in case of failure. The digital experience also integrates lighting and audio controls to create a multi-sensory experience.
ABOUT YOKO ONO
Yoko Ono is an award-winning multi-media artist and peace activist who constantly challenges and stretches traditional boundaries of perceptions of art. Her performance art in the early 1960s, experimental films and collaborative music with John Lennon in the 1970s, and international one-woman shows and retrospectives during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s illustrate her varied career. Yoko Ono is well known for her peace initiatives and recent events including her IMAGINE PEACE TOWER in Iceland and participatory Wish Trees throughout the world.
ABOUT ART AT THE COSMOPOLITAN OF LAS VEGAS:
The art program at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas was designed around its commitment to building a platform for fresh, innovative and provocative content that satisfies the cultural sensibilities of its guests and fosters a greater awareness, understanding and appreciation of art. It encompasses many components from PAUSE, an innovative public art program that transforms The Cosmopolitan’s digital marquee and other LED signs into spectacular large-scale digital canvases showcasing work from leading contemporary artists, to WALLWORKS, a permanent art installation that incorporates two important art genres known for bringing art into the public spaces: murals and graffiti. The guest experience is continuously reinvented through an ever-changing lineup of inspired contemporary art. The art program is curated in partnership with Art Production Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to commissioning and producing ambitious public art projects, reaching new audiences and expanding awareness through contemporary art.
ABOUT THE COSMOPOLITAN OF LAS VEGAS:
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is a luxury resort offering a decidedly different perspective. Located at the heart of The Strip, the resort’s uniquely vertical multi-tower design offers spectacular views of the vibrant city. The new 2,995-room resort features oversized residential-style living spaces with expansive, one-of-a-kind private terraces. The Cosmopolitan’s luxurious resort amenities include a 100,000 square foot casino; Sahra Spa & Hammam and Violet Hour Hair Nails Beauty; three unique pool experiences; Marquee Nightclub & Dayclub, a multi-level integrated indoor/outdoor nightclub; 150,000 square feet of state-of-the-art convention and meeting space; 40,000-square foot performance and event space The Chelsea; and social club Rose. Rabbit. Lie. An eclectic line-up of new-to-market retailers include: AllSaints Spitalfields, CRSVR Sneaker Boutique, DNA2050, EATDRINK, Jason of Beverly Hills, Kidrobot, Molly Brown's Swimwear, Retrospecs & Co, Skins 62 Cosmetics, Stitched and Utique. Signature restaurants include: Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill by restaurateurs Bruce and Eric Bromberg; CommeÇa by Los Angeles Chef David Myers; Estiatorio Milos, by international restaurateur Costas Spiliadis; Holsteins from Block 16 Hospitality; Jaleo and China Poblano restaurants by acclaimed Chef José Andrés; Scarpetta and D.O.C.G. by award-winning Chef Scott Conant; and popular steakhouse STK from The ONE Group; bustling culinary food hall The Wicked Spoon; and The Henry, an all-day dining concept.
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