The Dublin City Council has temporarily shut down a portal that connects New York City to Dublin through a livestream due to inappropriate behavior.
Less than a week after the 24/7 visual art installation was put in place, officials have opted to close it down temporarily after people began to flash each other, grind on the portal, and one person even shared pictures of the twin tower attack to people in New York City. Alternatively, the portal has also been the site of reunions with old friends and even proposals, with many documenting their experience with the installation online.
The Dublin City Council said that although there were few instances of inappropriate behavior, videos of it went viral online.
“While we cannot control all of these actions, we are implementing some technical solutions to address this and these will go live in the next 24 hours,” the council said in a Monday statement. “We will continue to monitor the situation over the coming days with our partners in New York to ensure that portals continue to deliver a positive experience for both cities and the world.”
The New York City portal is next to the Flatiron Building, while Dublin’s is at the intersection of North Earl Street and O’Connell Street.
What is the New York–Dublin Portal?
The portal was launched on May 8 as a way to bring people together through technology.
“Portals are an invitation to meet people above borders and differences and to experience our world as it really is—united and one,” said Benediktas Gylys, the Lithuanian artist and founder of The Portal. The livestream is a means of connecting distant locations, enabling individuals to meet outside of their social circles and cultures, transcend geographical boundaries, and appreciate the beauty of global interconnectedness.
The Dublin portal is set to connect with other cities and destinations in Poland, Brazil, and Lithuania, as stated in a press release from the Dublin City Council on May 8. The connection with New York City is expected to continue through autumn, with additional cultural performances starting in mid-May.
