Yoko Ono wants to document all the smiling faces in the world, and earlier this month she released an iPhone app to do just that. So far she’s collected 2,700 jovial expressions, but it’s unclear how the app is different from all the smiling pictures which currently exist on Facebook and Twitter, except that Miss Ono is now indirectly involved.
Originally based off a 1967 film project idea, the app #smilesfilm is simply that: of smiling faces. “My ultimate goal in film-making is to make a film which includes a smiling face snap of every single human being in the world,” Ono said on Twitter.
#smilesfilm users upload photos of themselves through Twitter or Instagram, and can interact with other geotagged app users by checking out other smiling faces in the “dream” section. According to the description, the app also comes with inspirational quotes and sounds from Ono herself:
Our smiles change moods and opinions as they radiate positive energy out into the world, creating joy, healing and peace, changing the Universe for the better.
In an interview with Reuters, Ono admitted it’s not always easy to smile, but she did it for her “health” after John Lennon’s death.
#smilesfilm follows decades of similar projects encouraging smiling by Ono: In 2009, smiling faces from photo booths at art exhibits in Tokyo, Berlin and New Delhi were collected on Flickr.
