Make a wish on a tree at the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens

A wish tree came to the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens with the intention to spread peace. It was led by the Japan Institute of Portland Japanese Garden, an American non-profit organisation and cultural institution based in Portland, Oregon.

Together with public gardens around the world they presented the collaborative installation Spread Peace: Wish Tree by Yoko Ono. The Wish Tree showed simultaneously from June –10 at Portland Japanese Garden in the US, Keihanna Commemorative Garden in Japan, Kokoro no Niwa in Chile, and our Emmarentia-based gardens.

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This collaboration expanded on the Yoko Ono: Peace is Power exhibition showing at the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo, Norway. Wish Tree invited guests to reflect and write their wishes for peace, which were then tied to the tree’s branches. Over time, the Wish Trees become adorned with these hopeful missives, evolving into a visual representation of the community’s collective aspirations for peace in our time.

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This interactive art has collected more than two million wishes from visitors worldwide. On the last day, the wishes are collected and Ono continues in connection with the Imagine Peace Tower in Reykjavík, Iceland.

“The Wish Tree installation supports Johannesburg Botanical Garden’s efforts to foster an appreciation of nature among the local community and positively impact the landscape through reforestation,” said Bishop Ngobeli, manager of protected areas at Johannesburg Botanical Garden.

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