[Photo Credit to portals.org]

Portals connecting a city to other countries were installed in New York City and Dublin in May of this year, but were shut down due to ‘inappropriate behavior’.

These portals have cameras and massive circular screens that connect to other cities worldwide with an unfiltered 24/7 live-stream.

The portals are in public spaces in Lithuania, Poland, the US, and Ireland, and connect to different cities frequently.

The portals in Dublin and New York were to be connected for 24 hours and starting from July, they would have connected to other countries.

The portal project is run by ‘Portals.org’ and the first portals were launched in 2021 by an artist named Benediktas Gylys with the idea that humans have more to share than what separates us and the feeling that we are connected on the planet.

To break the language barrier and connect people around the world through body language which is used universally , portals did not play audio.

The portals in NYC and Dublin went viral on SNS with videos of people communicating with the other country through the portals , and many people visiting the portal.

There were many heartwarming moments such as one person showing a sign saying “We love Dublin”, dancing to the other country, and a woman in New York meeting her friend in Ireland through the portal with a sign.

However, since it was an unfiltered 24/7 livestream, there were many inappropriate people trying to offend others, which led to the shut down of the portal connecting Ireland and the US on the 15th of May.

There was a woman blocking people from seeing the portal despite several requests to leave the área, which led to her arrest by the police. There was another person showing the middle finger starting from one side of the portal because of a fight.

Further ‘inappropriate behavior’ was when an Irish person who showed a tragic incident that happened in New York through the camera and a person from New York showed a picture of a potato to reference the Irish Great Famine.

The portals were shut down within a week of being unveiled due to the ‘inappropriate behavior’ of citizens.

The first portals were installed in Vilnius, Lithuania and Lublin, Poland, and the project was successfully launched with the support and funding of the local governments.

During the pandemic, when international travel was severely restricted, the project was especially meaningful as it allowed people to interact with people from other countries in real time.

Since the portals were installed, people in each city have shown respect and appreciation through the portals by performing shows or showing signs with warm messages.

Surprisingly, the portals have been in operation for almost three years without any major incidents or problems. Despite being in a public space, there have been no reports of physical damage. This shows how much people respect and value the structures.

Beyond just a technological innovation, this project has overcome the isolation caused by the pandemic and created a sense of closeness across borders. In the future, the portals can look forward to connecting other cities to share more positive experiences like this.