Getty Images/Timothy A. Cleary(NEW YORK) — The Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York has pulled the plug on Shia LaBeouf’s HEWILLNOTDIVIDE.US, an ongoing streaming performance/presidential protest outside the facility.
The participatory project was supposed to last four years, but the museum shut it down, saying it devolved into a “flashpoint for violence” that, “created a serious and ongoing public safety hazard for the Museum, its visitors, staff, local residents, and businesses.”
The site made headlines for all the wrong reasons late last month, when the actor was arrested for allegedly assaulting a passerby.
Officials made mention of the incident, noting, “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 continued, “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.”
While the museum allowed that “HEWILLNOTDIVIDE.US generated an important conversation allowing interaction among people from many backgrounds and with different viewpoints,” it says that public safety is paramount.
“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 statement noted.
“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.”
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