Shia LaBeouf’s Donald Trump was reportedly shut down by the Museum of the Moving Image, and will not continue for its planned four-year duration.
LaBeouf started the He Will Not Divide Us live stream on Inauguration Day. The project featured a camera attached to the outside of the museum, where anyone could come by and be filmed 24/7 saying “he will not divide us.”
LaBeouf planned for the protest to last throughout Trump’s first four years as president. But after several incidents, including one that led to LaBeouf getting arrested, the museum has decided to close up shop. In a statement released on Friday, the museum said:
“The Museum of the Moving Image has closed HEWILLNOTDIVIDE.US, a participatory Internet streaming performance by LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner. The installation created a serious and ongoing public safety hazard for the Museum, its visitors, staff, local residents, and businesses. The installation had become a flashpoint for violence and was disrupted from its original intent.
While the installation began constructively, it deteriorated markedly after one of the artists was arrested on the site of the installation and ultimately necessitated this action. Over the course of the installation, there have been dozens of threats of violence and numerous arrests, such that police felt compelled to be stationed outside the installation 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
We take our commitment to the safety of our 200,000 annual visitors and 50,000 school children attending programs at the Museum seriously, along with the safety and security of our staff and community.
We are proud to have launched this engaging and thought-provoking digital art installation which was experienced by millions of online viewers worldwide. Until public safety concerns overrode the intent of the installation, HEWILLNOTDIVIDE.US generated an important conversation allowing interaction among people from many backgrounds and with different viewpoints. However, ending our engagement with the installation is the most prudent path forward to restore public safety to the Museum, its visitors, staff, and the community.”
The live stream is no longer online. But, LaBeouf has taken to Twitter to address the closing of the He Will Not Divide Us exhibit, saying, “The museum has abandoned us.”
#HEWILLNOTDIVIDEUS pic.twitter.com/NMarcz85NB
— Shia LaBeouf (@thecampaignbook) February 10, 2017
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