Jaden Smith Visits Shia LaBeouf Group Art Exhibition At Moving Image

“HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US”, are the words that many Astorians, New Yorkers, and celebrities, have been repeating over and over in front of a camera on the side of the Museum of the Moving Image.

Image Credit: Jeanmarie Evelly/DNAinfo

Image Credit: Jeanmarie Evelly/DNAinfo

The new installation was created by LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner, a creative collaboration started by actor and artist, Shia LaBeouf. The camera, which is set up on the 37th Street and 35th Avenue side of the museum, invites passersby to say the phrase as many times as they want. It was created as a response to the inauguration of the new President of the United States of America – Donald, J. Trump.

The camera will be available 24 hours a day and will be continuously streaming for the entire duration of the Presidents four year term.

LaBeouf could be seen at the installation, in a red hat, watching as members of the public repeated the words. He wasn’t the only

Image Credit: Jeanmarie Evelly/DNAinfo

Image Credit: Jeanmarie Evelly/DNAinfo

celebrity on the scene, with Jaden Smith and pals joining in. Smith, who is son to Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, along with being an actor and musician himself, repeated the phrase for 2 hours on Friday. At times the young celebrity paused, shut his eyes, even jumped up and down, refreshing himself before starting again.

Many joined in with Smith, some linking arms and chanting the words over again.

A press release for the piece stated that the, “mantra ‘HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US’ acts as a show of resistance or insistence, opposition or optimism, guided by the spirit of each individual participant and the community.”

Although the thought behind the piece, and its meaning are authentic and just, there were some who saw them as an understatement. One such individual told DNAinfo, after he took part in the installation, “there is this assumption that before Donald Trump we were not divided, which is noble…but which I also think is not very productive or realistic.”

Shia LaBeouf was also seen taking things to another level when an apparent racist, wearing a grey hat much like the German forces in WWII, showed up. The man could be seen going around the crowd and coming to a stop in front of the camera where he said the words “14”. A significant number for white supremacists. The man didn’t get much else out as LaBeouf began a tirade of screams until the man eventually ran off.