He Will Not Divide Us Flag

A participatory performance installation to coincide with the inauguration of Donald Trump.[52] A camera was set up on a wall outside the Museum of the Moving Image in New York, with the words "He Will Not Divide Us" written directly above. Passersby were invited to deliver these words into the camera "as many times, and for as long as they wish," in what the artists described as "a show of resistance or insistence, opposition or optimism, guided by the spirit of each individual participant and the community."[53] The footage was live-streamed on a 24/7 feed, which the artists announced would run for four years, or the duration of Trump's presidency. Jaden Smith was one of the earliest participants in the project.[54]

Speaking to an *Associated Press* reporter in front of the livestream camera, LaBeouf stated that "we're anti-division out here. Everyone's invited,"[55] while *Indiewire* noted that "the project is a melting pot of ages, races, genders, sexualities, and beliefs, and it’s fascinating how the five words became a mantra and took on lives of their own."[53] *The Week* called the piece "the first great art of the Trump era,"[56] while *Dazed* described the experience of watching the stream as "a simple and much-needed reminder, likely delivered by an absolute stranger, that resistance and unity are unwavering."[57]

On February 10, 2017, the Museum of the Moving Image announced that it had ceased its involvement with the project, citing public safety concerns.[58] The museum's statement claimed that "the installation had become a flashpoint for violence and was disrupted from its original intent."[59] The exhibit had become a target for confrontations by neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and 4chan trolls.[60][61][62][63] [64] LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner, meanwhile, clarified that although the museum had "abandoned" the project, "the artists, however, have not."[58]They issued a statement accusing the Museum of the Moving Image of not listening to their concerns regarding the hate speech that occurred, and claimed that the museum had "bowed to political pressure" in ceasing their involvement with the project, adding that there had been no incidents of violence that they were aware of.[65]They also revealed that the lawyer who informed them of the museum's decision also represents President Trump, and the trio concluded that the museum was "not fit to speak of [their] intent as artists."[65]

On February 18, 2017, the live stream resumed, with the installation relocated to a wall outside the El Rey Theater in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[66] On February 23, 2017, the stream was taken down again, this time at the behest of the artists, due to gunshots reported in the area. A man was reciting poetry into the camera in the early hours of the morning when gunshots could be heard on the stream.[67] Though the shots were reportedly unrelated to the project, the trio stated via Twitter that they had taken down the stream as "the safety of everybody participating in our project is paramount."[68][69][70]

On March 8, 2017, the stream resumed from an "unknown location", with the artists announcing that a flag emblazoned with the words "He Will Not Divide Us" would be flown for the duration of the presidency.[71] The camera was pointed up at the flag, set against a backdrop of nothing but sky. Reporting on the move, *Nylon*reflected that "in tumultuous times like these, it's encouraging to see that art finds a way to exist and artists find a way to create, even when their work and message are under attack."[71] Within 38 hours of resuming transmission, the flag was located by a collaboration of 4chan users, who used airplane contrails, celestial navigation, and other techniques to determine that it was located in Greeneville, Tennessee.[72] In the early hours of March 10, 2017, an unknown person took down and stole the flag, replacing it with a red 'Make America Great Again' hat and a Pepe the Frog shirt. [73][74] These were later removed, and the stream continued broadcasting an empty flag pole.[75] Following escalating threats coordinated via 4chan and 8chan, and after a field at the location was set on fire, the artists were again forced to relocate the project.[74]

On March 22, 2017, the stream resumed, depicting a new "He Will Not Divide Us" flag being flown on the roof of the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (FACT) in Liverpool, England.[74] Commenting on the new location, the trio stated that “events have shown that America is simply not safe enough for this artwork to exist.”[74] On the next day, individuals gained access to the roof of the five-story building, and on police advice, FACT and the artists removed the installation "due to dangerous, illegal trespassing."[76][77]

On October 16, 2017, Le Lieu unique in Nantes, France, adopted the project, with the flag flying at the top of the landmark building's tower.[78] In the early hours of October 25, 2017, vandals unsuccessfully attempted to set fire to the flag using a flaming drone, before crashing the remotely-piloted aircraft.[79]

On June 8, 2018, the work was installed at Muzeum Sztuki, Łódź, for the exhibition 'Peer-to-Peer. Collective Practices in New Art'.[80]

On October 29, 2018, the Le Lieu Unique in Nantes, France, readopted the project. As of now, because of normal wear and tear (the flag wasn't replaced according to the artists' will), only half of the flag is still flying.

## Links

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaBeouf,\_R%C3%B6nkk%C3%B6\_%26\_Turner#HEWILLNOTDIVIDE.US,\_2017\_%E2%80%93\_ongoing

-http://hewillnotdivide.us/