Why HE Is Spending 24 Hours in an Elevator in England?

Right now, Shia LaBeouf is standing in an elevator, talking to strangers. For art.

The 24-hour project is called #ELEVATE, and is currently taking place at Oxford University. #ELEVATE stems from an invitation to speak at Oxford Union, which LaBeouf and his collective LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner (comprising the actor and his frequent collaborators, Nastja Säde Rönkkö and Luke Turner) decided to turn into an open 24-hour forum for the general public to walk into and talk about anything, as a form of extended address to the Union.

The presence of LaBeouf's voice is what distinguishes #ELEVATE from LaBeouf's previous projects. In the past, the actor-turned-performance artist has presented himself as a blank slate, letting the choices of the people around him contextualize his presence. With #ELEVATE (as well as his previous project, #TOUCHMYSOUL) LaBeouf is actively talking to people, as himself. He's honestly answering questions, being friendly and cordial and actively engaging guests, talking to them about whatever they like. This is by design, as the description for the project lays out the terms:

"Visitors will be able to join LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner inside the elevator during this time, and are invited to address the artists, the debating chamber, and the Internet, so that their collective voices may form an extended, expansive, and egalitarian Oxford Union address."

Over a ten-minute span, LaBeouf has managed to talk about all manner of topics with the people who have joined him, from the cultural and economic state of affairs in South Dakota ("super fucked") to eating ass and Kanye. ("I can't help but like the guy ... He moves the culture. He's also a misogynist; I've got friends that don't like me liking him.")

There's a slight layer of remove to the stream; the camera is focused on the elevator doors, so you only see its occupants when it opens up to reveal mirrors on the other side. But it's still fascinating to listen to. You can stream #ELEVATE live below for the duration of its run, which will conclude 9 A.M. Saturday, Oxford time.