Oh, Shia. If there's nothing else to say for this one, at least he's committed to providing a #real experience for the fans. It seems Shia LaBeouf's latest stab at site-specific performance art, wherein he spent 24 hours in an elevator, took a turn for the violent after an admirer reportedly asked Yung LaBeouf to punch him in the face (as fans so frequently do). Shia reportedly complied in the name of art.
The installation, titled #ELEVATE, was presented in partnership with artists Luke Turner and Nastja Säde Rönkkö, with whom he also collaborated for previous projects #ALLMYMOVIES and #IAMSORRY. The three spent a full 24-hour period occupying the elevator leading up to and immediately following a scheduled Oxford Union address. Visitors were invited "address the artists, the debating chamber, and the internet, so that their collective voices may form an extended, expansive and egalitarian Oxford Union address." As was the case with his past installations, the performance was live-streamed, part of which you can view in the video above.
"Oh man, you want me to punch you in the face?" LaBeouf replied. "I don’t want to punch you very hard!"
Page Sixreports that everything was going well until an eager fan and Oxford University student approached the actor with his own performance art endeavor. "I’m a performance artist," the student told LaBeouf. "Can you help me with completion of my next piece by punching me in the face?" A conversation then ensued:
While Page Six points out that the elevator doors closed before the incident occurred, the punch is reportedly still audible in the video. Who among us wouldn't like to punch someone in the face in the name of art?
