Shia LaBeouf has joined in the anti-trump movement, but in true LaBeoufian fashion hasn’t failed to make it unlike any protest we’ve ever seen.
On January 20th, Donald Trump was inaugurated as The President of the United States. Meanwhile, LaBeouf was leading action of his own in his newest interactive art project outside the Museum of Moving Images in New York.
The project, titled #HeWillNotDivideUs was revealed by the actor turned activist, along with his artistic collaborators Nastja Säde Rönkkö and Luke Turner, as a four-year long protest to last the entire first term of Trump’s presidency.
Using a live streaming installation positioned outside the museum, the project invites anyone to participate and share in chanting the mantra in which the project is aptly named after.
“He will not divide us” is a powerful statement to unite the many who are feeling understandably oppositional about the US’s new government. His mission has already garnered mass support, both online and in physicality.
But if there isn’t an ideological confrontation or drama at a protest, can we even call it a protest? Inevitably, LaBeouf’s well meaning operation attracted some less like-minded visitors.
On Monday, a white supremacist gate crashed the event and started stirring up trouble. LaBeouf attempted to shout the counter-protester down, and continued to shout the movement’s mantra as well as the numbers 1488.
The number 1488 relates to the word count of famous white supremacy phrases, a cryptic rebuttal LaBeouf used that was unfortunately lost on the young Nazi.
Despite the short invasion of unwanted company, the protest is still active and passionate for change, with the added benefit of being watchable in real time, any time.
The live-streaming format marks a revolutionary change in the way we protest in today’s interconnected, mediated world.
Although the star frequents his own project outside the museum, he has not been able to be a constant presence.
With the art installation only being 4 days old, and already causing showing to be a bit chaotic, we can only imagine the havoc that might ensue amongst the #HeWillNotDivideUs project in the new four years.
