Shia LaBeouf's 30-Day Isolation Performance in Finnish Lapland
Shia LaBeouf, along with Nastja Ronkko and Luke Turner of his artistic collective, is living in isolation in separate cabins in remote Finnish Lapland from April 12 to May 12, 2017, as part of the performance 'AloneTogether.' The artists have no contact with the outside world—no phone, Skype, or exit. A fourth cabin is installed inside the Kiasma Museum in Helsinki, where visitors can send and receive text messages to the artists. A camera streams the museum cabin, displaying conversations as subtitles. The work echoes LaBeouf's earlier anti-Trump performance 'He Will Not Divide Us' (2017) at the Museum of Moving Image in New York, which involved a live stream and led to his arrest. 'AloneTogether' shifts focus from politics to solitude and human relationships, using new media as a tool for reflection and amplification.
Key facts
- Shia LaBeouf is living in isolation in a cabin in Finnish Lapland from April 12 to May 12, 2017.
- The performance is titled 'AloneTogether' and includes Nastja Ronkko and Luke Turner in separate cabins.
- A fourth cabin is installed at the Kiasma Museum in Helsinki for visitor interaction via text messages.
- The museum cabin is live-streamed with subtitles of conversations.
- LaBeouf previously staged 'He Will Not Divide Us' at the Museum of Moving Image in New York in January 2017.
- 'He Will Not Divide Us' involved a live stream of people shouting the phrase and led to LaBeouf's arrest.
- The new work explores solitude and human relationships without direct political references.
- The performance is described as a conceptual 'Big Brother' replacing spectacle with contemporary art practices.
Entities
Artists
- Shia LaBeouf
- Nastja Ronkko
- Luke Turner
Institutions
- Kiasma Museum
- Museum of Moving Image
Locations
- Lapland
- Finland
- Helsinki
- New York