Strawberry Fields Forever
A plaque located in the Strawberry Fields in Central Park.
The "Imagine" mosaic located in the Strawberry Fields of Central Park.
A video of Lennon's fans singing "Imagine" at the Strawberry Fields.
Although there are countless public and private memorials to John Lennon throughout the world, among the most famous is the Strawberry Fields area of Central Park. Dedicated to Lennon on October 9, 1985, this little area is overlooked by the Dakota building, Lennon's place of residence as well as the site of his murder. Strawberry Fields is a "designated quiet" area of the park, in order to contribute to its designation as an area to remember someone who has died. Whether this would be in accordance with John Lennon's wishes remains to be seen.
Fans of Lennon's interact with space in a number of ways. Many take pictures, perhaps contributing to the creation of Lennon's public memory on Facebook or Instagram or their social media platform of choice. Some light candles or leave flowers. Some sell artwork featuring Lennon in the pieces. Some completely ignore the "deisgnated quiet" characteristic of the area and sing Lennon's songs. Some sit on the nearby benches and observe. And some even walk through the area without a second thought, on their way to work or to catch the subway just outside the area.
But one particular interaction is of note. Every year on October 9 and December 8, the anniversaries of Lennon's birth and death, respectively, fans gather en masse to the Strawberry Fields and interact with one another by singing his most famous songs together. Perhaps they are not abiding by the "designated quiet" guideline, but it can be assumed that a nonviolent gathering of masses of people singing together and simply existing together would be much more according to Lennon's wishes.
An article about an artistic installation by Yoko Ono Lennon
But Central Park is not the only home to a memory of John Lennon. Just outside the park where the mosaic lies, there is a subway station: 72nd Street on the B/C line. It is nearly indistinguishable from any other subway station ... that is, except for the mosaic on the walls!
This installation, called "SKY," was made in October 2018 by Yoko Ono Lennon in memory of her deceased husband. Not only does the work resemble a beautiful skyscape, but it also has positive affirmations written on the walls, evocative of Lennon as they say things like "Imagine peace," referring to the pre-chorus in "Imagine," which says "Imagine all the people living life in peace." Choosing a sky itself to portray is also evocative of the same song, which says in its opening lines, "Imagine there's no heaven/ It's easy if you try/ No hell below us/ Above us only sky."
Once again, the song choice to memorialize contributes to this public narrative of Lennon as a peace activist, and selecting the song was one hundred percent purposeful.