On paper, the idea was great. The portal was presented as a bridge between continents, a window opening to the other side of the Atlantic, technology offered for the fraternization of peoples, and many other concepts, each more exciting than the other. Of course, these are on paper. When the organizers of this strange installation, consisting of two XXL screens broadcasting simultaneously and reciprocally what is happening in the two cities, transferred their ideas to the streets of New York and Dublin, they found that the reality was quite different. It’s different and, above all, much less educational.

There were those who used the “portals” for beautiful gestures such as dancing, greetings, and even offering a hand; But there were also people who came to insult them, to show off, or to show them a recording of 9/11. There was so much excess that the authorities decided to turn off the screens and take some time. If from words to action…

“A real-time visual bridge”. The idea was inspiring. Epic even. And that’s how it was sold. When Dublin and New York officials launched the Portal on May 8, they pitched it as an “unprecedented visual bridge in real time” between the two cities in Ireland and the United States. And they weren’t lying.

The installation consisted of no more and no less than two 2.4 meter diameter screens capable of capturing and broadcasting live images. They also decided to install them in the center of both metropolises. In New York, they chose the intersection of Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and 23rd Street near the Flatiron Building. In Dublin, the “portal” was installed on the corner of North Earl Street and O’Connell Street.

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A window of 5,100 km… and in real time. When New Yorkers looked at The Portal, the first one, they could see live what was happening in front of the screen in Dublin. And vice versa. Just like an open window, only between two points 5,100 kilometers apart. During the presentation, Dublin City Council explained that the broadcast will be live, active 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and that the aim is to allow “real-time interaction between Dubliners, New Yorkers and visitors to these places”. two global destinations”.

Link creation. Curious people came to the Portal, wondering what was happening on the other side of the lake, wanting to communicate and even show their culture. account in x Showing some examples from Portals.org: An Irish woman to apply women dancing céili in front of a group of New Yorkers celebrating Mother’s Day, people holding welcome banners, forming hearts with hands… Even Dublin firefighters They came closer He appeared on screen to greet his US counterparts. After all, the formula has been tested before. The website portals.org cites other screens installed in Lithuania and Poland.

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More than greetings. The problem, as those responsible for the project soon realized, is that not everyone approaches Portal with the same attitude. There are people who do this for provocation purposes. Sometimes it borders all the red lines. And if that wasn’t enough, many of these gestures were later reflected on the networks and quoted in international media. GuardianBBC, time anyone New York PostHe even spoke of the “gateway to hell”.

New York media headlined Sunday: “A live video art installation in New York and Dublin is already bringing out the worst in people with obscene displays.” The portal had not been opened yet five days ago. Similar comments can be read in other international newspapers, probably to the annoyance of officials in both metropolises. And also on networks where they don’t take long to circulate images, videos And comments somewhat educational.

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Flashing, 9/11… and more. What can be seen in the Portal? What images traveled 5,100 km to be reproduced on the other side of the Atlantic? Insults, arm cuts, back, video of the attack Broadcast of 9/11 from Dublin to a dejected audience in front of the screen in New York… “The exhibition, which surprises no one, has already caused chaos: Naughty Irishmen show everything from their bare bottoms to swastikas and a photo of the Towers Twins burning on 9/11 ” it said. to mail.

We didn’t have to wait long to see such a stage show. Shortly after the display opened, Irish police had to take away a drunk woman right in front of the “portal” broadcasting live to New York. The Dublin agents’ video, of course, went viral.

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Add and continue. Of all the scandals, perhaps the most vocal was the one involving a young woman peering out of her New York door to show off her breasts to the people of Dublin. The gesture was attributed to model Ava Louise on the platform OnlyFans, who posted a video mocking the situation and taking numerous jabs at the portal project: “I thought the people of Dublin deserved to see two potatoes grown in New York”. In fact, this is not the first act of exhibitionism. daily mail showed for example, a young man pulls down his pants and shows his butt to the screen.

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Solution: (temporary) shutdown. The result was expected. Organizers decided to take action on the issue after seeing how 9/11 images and nudes were circulating on the networks. On Tuesday, Dublin announced the camera would be shut down at 10pm as organizers looked for ways to save the project.

“The team behind the portal sculpture is investigating possible technical solutions for the inappropriate behavior of a small minority of people,” officials said, admitting that the Irish City Council had hoped to find a solution yesterday but had not yet been able to find a formula. completely “satisfactory”. The interruption will be temporary and the goal of those responsible is to resume broadcasting at the end of this week.

“a small number of people”. They insist that “inappropriate behavior” from Dublin came from a “small minority” and emphasize that the “overwhelming majority of people” who came to watch the display behaved appropriately. A similar message is conveyed by New York organizers, who accept the opinion of the stubborn “minority”. Flatiron NoMad Partnership, one of the project’s organizers, says that since the screens’ debut, they have decided to “implement a number of protocols” that include the deployment of security personnel and the erection of barriers, among other things.

Image | New York DOT (X)

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