LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner’s participatory art installation HEWILLNOTDIVIDE.US has been closed mere weeks into its anticipated four-year run. The video project was intended to stream for the entirety of Donald Trump’s presidency, as an act of protest.
The trio of artists invited participants to deliver the words ‘HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US’ to a camera outside the Museum of the Moving Image, which streamed 24/7, drawing high profile visitors like Jaden Smith. But over the weekend, the Museum released a statement announcing the closure of HEWILLNOTDIVIDE.US, citing the danger it posed to “visitors, staff, local residents, and businesses.”
“The installation had become a flashpoint for violence and was disrupted from its original intent,” explained a spokesperson. “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.”
If you tune in now, you’ll find the message “the museum has abandoned us.” LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner’s site bears a similar message, but with one hopeful note. “On February 10, 2017, the Museum of the Moving Image abandoned the project. The artists, however, have not.”
Credits
Photography via LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner