The morning of November 9, 2016 elicited a collective groan from the world—Donald Trump’s election as president of the United States of America seemed like an orange-tinted harbinger of bad times indeed.
And as the xenophobic, sexist former reality TV star took to the podium on January 20 becoming the 45th president of the United States of America, the palpable anxieties of the world were brought to a head. This prompted a reaction by the people who feel deeply wronged by what the president represents—the Women’s March on Washington drew hundreds of thousands of protesters who took their opinions up to the gates of the White House.
Simultaneous to the march, artist and actor Shia Labeouf along with Nastja Säde Rönkkö and Luke Turner, also made a statement through their installation He Will Not Divide Us. It’s a simple set-up: a webcam set into the side of the Museum of the Moving Image in New York, asking those in front of it to utter the title of the installation, “He will not divide us.” The webcam streams 24 hours, and will last the four years of Trump’s presidency.
The installation has garnered a great deal of media attention, particularly a moment when a counter-protester walked up to the exhibition making anti-semitic remarks, resulting in Labeouf allegedly assaulting him and later being arrested. After being released from custody, Labeouf promptly returned to the installation and continued to lead the crowd in the chant. Now protected by the NYPD, the exhibition will hopefully continue on without any interruptions.
You can live stream the piece on the He Will Not Divide Us website, and if you would like to visit the installation itself it is found at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City.
Text:Kevin Chow
Photography:LaBeouf,Ronkko,Turner
