Weâre no strangers to the long-form art piece thatâs become the off-screen life of Shia LaBeouf. He took your phone calls, he wore a paper bag on his head to his own movie premiere, and, most famously, he hosted a 72-hour viewing party of his own movies. In his latest act, the former Transformers star is spending 24 hours in an elevator in Oxfordâand you can live stream it below:
The streamâs video is pointed at closed elevator doors, which open occasionally to let people on and off the lift. Most of the stream is just audio of LaBeouf interacting with his fellow riders. I tuned in for a bit and caught some of the conversation.
âJust gonna throw it out there: Holes. Great movie,â one rider said. The actor responded, âIt couldâve been worse. I wouldnât say Iâm proud of it, but itâs ok.â
While I watched, the conversations were equal parts small talk, film discussion, and inquiries into what the hell heâs doing in an elevator.
âWhat are your expectations?â another asked.
âI think this is a better way to connect with people than talking from a stageâ¦Oxford invited us, and you canât really turn down Oxford.â LaBeouf is also giving a speech at Oxford Union later today.
Most of LaBeoufâs âpiecesâ seem to tread a weird line between egomania and self-loathing; heâs nearly always the subject, but he often chooses to present himself in caustic self-deprecation. After the three-day movie spectacle, he told the NewHive art website:
“I always go into these things every time thinking ‘what if they light my hair on fire?’ This is a genuine fear of mine. I think people hate me. Thatâs just what goes on in my head. And all I want to do is be liked… I walked out loving myself. Not in some grandiose, youâre fucking awesome way, but in like, youâre a part of a community. Youâre a part of this human thing. Youâre in this human thing.â
This latest elevator exploit seems to be another exploration into LaBeoufâs role in this human thing. So far, no one has lit his hair on fire.
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HT: NME