Imagine Peace Tower
A house made of light
Each autumn, as Reykjavík settles into its long winter nights, a column of light rises from Viðey, the small island just offshore. The beam comes from the Imagine Peace Tower, Yoko Ono’s monument to peace, which has been lighting the Icelandic sky since 2007.
The idea is considerably older. In 1965, Ono conceived a work called Light House: a phantom house made entirely from light, appearing under particular atmospheric conditions and disappearing when they changed. In 1967, John Lennon encountered the concept and asked Ono whether she could build one in his garden. At the time, it existed only as an idea. Four decades later, it became the Imagine Peace Tower.
A wish made visible
The tower takes the form of a wishing well from which a column of light emerges. Around its base, the words IMAGINE PEACE are inscribed in 24 languages.
It was unveiled on 9 October 2007 on Viðey, what would have been Lennon’s 67th birthday, and dedicated to his memory. The work continues the peace campaign associated with Ono and Lennon, taking its name from Lennon’s 1971 song Imagine.
A monument made from wishes
The wishing well is more than a visual device. For decades, Ono has collected wishes through her participatory Wish Tree works, in which people write their hopes and dreams on small pieces of paper.
The wishes became part of the Imagine Peace project. They are preserved in capsules and buried around the tower, turning the ground beneath it into a collective time capsule. The collection has grown to more than two million wishes gathered from around the world.
The project continues to invite new wishes, extending the artwork beyond the tower itself.
What the tower is made of
The tower is made up of 15 lights which combine to create a single beam. Six travel through corridors across the platform surrounding the wishing well before being reflected upwards by mirrors; a further nine shine directly into the sky.
Its appearance changes with the Icelandic weather. Particles and moisture in the air affect the strength and intensity of the beam, so it can appear sharply defined in clear conditions or diffuse into cloud, rain or snow.
The electricity comes from Reykjavík Energy, which produces geothermal power.
October 9: The annual relighting
The tower is relit each year on 9 October, John Lennon’s birthday. The occasion is marked with a public programme on Viðey, with a ferry taking visitors from Reykjavík to the island. In previous years, the programme has included a speech by the mayor or another city official, followed by live music from an Icelandic musician, before the tower is illuminated.
The ceremony is weather dependent. In 2025, for example, strong conditions around Viðey meant that the public ceremony and ferry service were cancelled, although the tower itself was still illuminated.
Viðey is close enough to Reykjavík to remain part of the city’s landscape, but sufficiently dark for the beam to be seen across the water. It is also home to Viðey House and US sculptor Richard Serra’s Áfangar artwork, making the island itself an important part of the experience.
Visiting Viðey
Viðey can be reached by ferry from Reykjavík. On 9 October, special services are arranged for the Imagine Peace Tower ceremony; at other times, ferry services vary by season and weather.
There is more to see
Viðey is only a short ferry ride from Reykjavík, but it feels like a different world.