Actor Shia LaBeouf, who is known for participating in offbeat art performances with his collaborators, artists Nastja Säde Rönkkö and Luke Turner, has lined up their next project. The trio will be among the acts at the inaugural edition of Bingefest, an overnight, more than 24 hour-long celebration of pop culture hosted by Australia’s Sydney Opera House.
“We no longer merely watch TV or listen to podcasts,” states the event mission statement. “We Binge. 24-hour TV marathons have become our new religion, and couches our shrines.”
It is unclear how LaBeouf and company intend to explore this concept for the festival, but the actor is no stranger to binging in the name of art. Last November, the Transformers star spent 72 hours trapped in New York’s Angelika Film Center for #ALLMYMOVIES, a literally titled, livestreamed piece in which LaBeouff watched every film in which he’s ever appeared in a single sitting.
Screenshot from the livestream of Shia LaBeouf watching his entire film oeuvre at New York’s Angelika Film Center in November 2015.
Other durational performances from LaBeouf, Rönkkö, and Turner include spending two days riding an elevator at Oxford University, a 144-lap METAMARATHON around Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum, and a 30-day road trip titled #TAKEMEANYWHERE, during which the hitchhiking artists let participants take them anywhere in the country.
LaBeouf is not the only boldfaced name to have signed on for the upcoming Australian festival. Dan Harmon, creator of the television series Community, and Julie Snyder, executive producer of the hit podcast Serial, will also be participating.
Luke Turner, Shia LaBeouf, and Nastja Säde Rönkkö, #METAMARATHON (2014). Courtesy of the artists.
Events will include a comedian-hosted memorial service for the late Harambe, the gorilla-turned-internet sensation who was killed earlier this year at the Cincinnati Zoo when a child fell into his enclosure; a Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathon in honor of the series’ 20th anniversary; and an internet cat video festival.
“We cannot wait to explore binge culture at the Sydney Opera House in the all-encompassing, immersive environment that only a festival can create,” said Bingefest founder and curator, Danielle Harvey, in a statement. “Television, podcasts, gaming and the internet at large create an artistic frame through which we view the world. BINGEFEST is the culmination of all of these wonderful moments.”
Bingefest will take place at the Sydney Opera House, December 17–18, 2016.