‘Portal’ linking New York, Dublin by live video paused after lewd behaviour
- A live stream video portal connecting Dublin and New York was meant to bring people in the cities together
- Some people used it to flash naked body parts and display images of New York’s Twin Towers burning on 9/11
A video screen “Portal” that lets people in New York and Dublin peer into life on opposite sides of the Atlantic in real time has been a source of whimsical delight for pavement crowds in the two cities, but also a magnet for boorish behaviour that’s prompted officials to hit pause for now.
Exhibit organisers touted the interactive display as a unique way to “embrace the beauty of global interconnectedness”.
“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 who conceived the installation, when the screens were unveiled to fanfare.
But just days into a run that was to have continued into the fall, the portals were shut down Monday night after videos spread on social media of people behaving badly – from an OnlyFans model in New York baring her breasts to Dubliners holding up swastikas and displaying images of New York’s Twin Towers burning on September 11.
Footage shared on social media also showed Dubliners mooning at and “grinding” against the portal, while others in view appeared to be drunk or taking drugs.
