Yoko Ono opens Manchester International Festival 2019 with mass bell ringing for peace
(Artdaily.org)

Yoko Ono invited members of the public to gather in Cathedral Gardens on 4 July 2019 to open Manchester International Festival 2019 with Bells for Peace, a mass gathering to send a message of peace to the world. Thousands of celebratory voices and a people’s orchestra of bells from the UK and abroad rung and sung out for peace and welcomed the world to Manchester. Yoko Ono has been among the world’s leading artists for more than 50 years. From her early Bed-in collaborations with John Lennon in 1969, to her ongoing WAR IS OVER! campaign, Ono has boldly communicated her commitment to social justice throughout her career, creating works that blur the boundaries between art, politics and society. This new commission is the first major work she has created for the city of Manchester. In the lead-up to the event, participants were invited to take part in bell-making workshops and choral groups prepared responses to Ono’s message of peace. Bells were provided for participants