John Lennon and Yoko Ono announce the conceptual country Nutopia

John Lennon and Yoko Ono held a press conference at 10am on 2 April 1973 to announce the birth of their conceptual country Nutopia.

The conference took place at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. Members of the media had been invited to hear Lennon and Ono discuss their appeal against a decision by immigration authorities to disallow Lennon to settle in the USA.

The day before the conference, the couple had written a press release announcing the conceptual country Nutopia:

DECLARATION OF NUTOPIA

We announce the birth of a conceptual country, NUTOPIA.

Citizenship of the country can be obtained by declaration of your awareness of NUTOPIA.

NUTOPIA has no land, no boundries [sic], no passports, only people.

NUTOPIA has no laws other than cosmic.

All people of NUTOPIA are ambassadors of the country.

As two ambassadors of NUTOPIA, we ask for diplomatic immunity and recognition in the United Nations of our country and its people.

Lennon included a three-second silent track named Nutopian National Anthem on his solo album Mind Games, released in November 1973.

The press conference lasted for 30 minutes, after which the couple were photographed by Bob Gruen while walking through Central Park to the Dakota building, where they were hoping to rent Apartment 72. After visiting the property they returned home, and were interviewed by Rolling Stone reporter Stuart Werbin.

Towards the end of the day Lennon and Ono flew from New York to Los Angeles, California.

We announce the birth of a conceptual country, NUTOPIA.
Citizenship of the country can be obtained by declaration of your awareness of NUTOPIA. pic.twitter.com/tsl7UOsi2W

— John Lennon ???? (@johnlennon) April 1, 2018