#ELEVATE

Actor Shia LaBeouf and his artist pals Ronkko & Turner have occupied a lift in Oxford for 24 hours.

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The trio are set to give a talk at Oxford Union at 8pm on Friday. For 24 hours either side of their talk, the performers say they will be occupying the elevator in Gloucester Green, ending the performance at 9am on Saturday.

YouTube

In a statement, the art collective said: "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."

Two students – Esme Ash, 20, who studies history, and Harriet, 20, who studies English literature – were in the lift with the performers.

"By the time we got on the lift, they had been #elevating for just under three hours and still appeared fairly fresh-faced," Ash told BuzzFeed News. "Shia seemed engaged in what you had to say, but left you to lead the conversation almost entirely. He spoke a lot about 'connection', the overarching theme of his different art projects—and it became clear during our conversation that this was living proof of that aim."

The live stream has gripped the nation, and visitors have been queuing up to hop in the lift to chat to the performers. You can watch all the action here:

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