IK! - Biennale of Sydney 2000

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(A Still of John's Face From SMILE)

Yoko brought the J&Y film "SMILE" and the stunning coffin piece, "Ex It" to the Biennale of Sydney in May 2000. Her appearance at the Sydney Opera House May 26, kicked off the two-month art event in Sydney, Australia.

The film that John and Yoko made in 1968, Film No. 5 (Smile) was presented to the city of Sydney in a very memorable way: clips the film were projected on a skyscraper facing Circular Quay.

J.Hoberman writes in Ballad of John and Yoko, - "Number 5 is a 52-minute superslow-motion close-up of John sticking out his tongue, raising his eyebrows, pursing his lips and smiling twice. In her notes, Yoko mentions she had considered making the film last four hours but decided to stick to a 'more commercial' length, offering super 8 prints 'for people who'd like to have the film on their wall as a light portrait.'

"In any format, Number 5 was designed as an environmental work: The film had its world premiere at the Chicago Film Festival in November 1968 and the audience was invited to bring their own musical instruments to augment the soundtrack of ambient Kenwood garden noises. 'By the time 30 minutes had passed,' Variety reported, 'some 50% of the house had ankled. Those who remained played their flutes, tambourines, made vocal sounds and frolicked under the ever-present face of John Lennon, who by then was displaying a broad, winning smile.'

"Number 5 clearly grows out of Yoko's previous interests - not only the Fluxfilm Disappearing Music for Face in which she appeared, but also her unrealized project, announced in the press release for Bottoms, to make a film that included 'a smiling face snap of every single human being in the world.' "