Yoko Ono
Forty-one years after her first ever paid UK public performance, Mrs John Lennon, the artist Yoko Ono returned to the historic Bluecoat arts space in 2008 following a £12.5 million restoration project. Performing as part of the group exhibition Now Then, celebrating the history of the venue, the instant sell-out was relayed in a live and exclusive simulcast to the Big Screen where hundreds more gathered to view this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, never sure of what the 75-year-old doyenne of the avant-garde might deliver next.
This was achieved using a permanent live relay point installed in the venue, fortunate to be adjacent to the BBC to allow easy cable access. In 1967 she had invited the audience to fly from the top of a step ladder, wrap her in bandages and handed out shards of a broken vase. In 2008 there were more bandages, film projection, knitting, light aerobics, flashlights, peace, love and a ‘Yoko Disco’ reminiscent of tipsy relatives at a wedding reception.