The Portal in New York City has only been open for a few weeks, and in that time it has gone viral for being a unique piece of public art that connects people across the globe. Unfortunately, albeit predictably, it has also gone viral for some less-than-savory incidents.
Created by Lithuanian artist Benediktas Gylys, The Portal consists of two large screens surrounded by sculpture, one on the streets of New York City, the other in Dublin. The two screens are connected via a 24-hour live video feed, and allow for pedestrians in each city to view, wave, and interact with eachother. While most people have used The Portal as intended, it has been mired by incidents including indecent exposure, as well as holding up offensive signs and images to the art installation’s cameras.
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These incidents have forced the officials in charge of the installation to shut it down several times, and it has just reopened with a few tweaks. These include the installation fencing directly around The Portal in New York to prevent people from getting too close, as well as cutting the hours the screens are active. Originally a 24-hour experience, the screens are now only active from 6 am to 4 pm in New York (11 am-9 pm in Dublin). Additionally, guides have been hired to stay at The Portal to ensure the users don’t do anything inappropriate, and to encourage more healthy engagement.
One of the main obstacles The Portal encountered was the blocking of the screen’s cameras by pedestrians. Multiple instances of people simply obscuring the camera with their hand or phone defeated the entire purpose of the installation. Video Window CEO Daryl Hutchings commented on how his team is addressing this behavior, telling TechCrunch, If a phone or someone’s hand blocks the camera view for over a certain amount of time, then we’re going to basically blur the local camera feed immediately, and then that means that the far side will see a blurred image. And then on the local display, we’re also blurring that as well.”
The Portal connecting New York and Dublin is the second in the series, with the first connecting Vilnius, Lithuania to Lublin, Poland opening up in 2021.
