Shia LaBeouf to relaunch anti-Trump art project
New York, Feb 19 (IANS) Actor Shia LaBeouf has planned to relaunch his anti-US President Donald Trump art project, He Will Not Divide Us, about a week after the project was shut down by the Museum of the Moving Image here.
The 30-year-old, alongside collaborators Rönkkö and Turner, spoke out against the museum in a statement on TheCampaignBook.com, revealing that the project will continue as of Saturday, relocating to the El Rey Theater in Albuquerque, New Mexico, reports etonline.com.
“From the outset, the museum failed to address our concerns about the misleading framing of our piece as a political rally, rather than as a participatory performance artwork resisting the normalisation of division,” read the statement by LaBeouf, Rönkkö and Turner.
“Nonetheless, there had been no incidents of physical violence at the site of our project that we are aware of, nor that we had been informed of at any stage by the museum.”
The Museum of the Moving Image announced its decision to terminate the project last week after experiencing disruptive protests since its opening.
“The installation created a serious and ongoing public safety hazard for the Museum, its visitors, staff, local residents, and businesses,” the Museum of Moving Image said in statement.
“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,” the statement read, refering to LaBeouf’s January 25 arrest after allegedly attacking a 25-year-old man at a protest.
“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,” the statement read.