Collection 1950s–1970s

Film No. 4 (Bottoms)

Yoko Ono. Film No. 4 (Bottoms). 1966–67

16mm film transferred to digital (black and white, mono sound), 1 hr. 19 min. Collection of the artist. © Yoko Ono

Curator, Christophe Cherix: Ono made this feature-length version of Film No. 4 while she was in London.

Yoko Ono: Most films, including what I make, you always have a background. And so I wanted to make a film that there's no background. By doing this, that becomes a form instead of part of the form.

And also I like the idea that it has four sections and, when it's walking, each four sections moving in a different way. So that and the fact that there's no background. So it suddenly becomes an entirety.

I thought this a way of a protest, a protest against all ills – but together. You know, 365 bottoms are going to, together, protest!

When you listen to the Bottoms film, you get a whole picture of what was in London – intellectuals, what they were thinking – because most of them are very intellectual to, you know, have to take your, you know, clothes off and show their butt. I mean, that's not something that, you know, you can easily do. It wasn't just anybody.