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A futuristic ‘portal’ has been installed in Dublin and New York allowing citizens on either side of the Atlantic to interact in real-time.
The public art realm has been introduced as part of Dublin’s status as the European City of Smart Tourism for 2024 and there was plenty of enthusiasm from the public as the technology was unveiled.
In the Irish capital, the structure is in place on O’Connell Street, capturing the GPO and the Spire while in the Big Apple, the portal is located in the Flatiron district at the intersection of Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and 23rd Street.
THE PORTAL: a visual bridge connecting New York City to Dublin
A public technology sculpture known as The Portal was unveiled this morning in New York City’s ’s Flatiron neighborhood. The sculpture has a real-time, visual live stream connecting New York City to Dublin, Ireland. pic.twitter.com/ATNBq63QeC
— Noel Y. Calingasan • NYC (@nyclovesnyc) May 8, 2024
The sculpture will be a fixture in Dublin city center over the coming months, running through to fall.
Following the launch, there will be further cultural performances in both cities, while Dublin will have additional connections to city destinations in Poland, Brazil and Lithuania.
At the opening, Dublin Lord Mayor Daithi De Roiste welcomed the new attraction as he opined, “I would encourage Dubliners and visitors to the city to come and interact with the sculpture and extend an Irish welcome and kindness to cities all over the world.
Portal provides chance for romance
There was a lot of interest in the visual bridge between the two world cities, but some people went a step further seeking to make a special connection with strangers.
One man in Dublin was seen trying to give his phone number to another in New York, as someone else held up a cardboard sign to grab the attention of a potential love interest.
In a touching moment, a US student currently at UCD was able to connect and speak with her Mother, all the way across in NYC.
🤏🧿 Aww! Native New Yorker and UCD student Dakota Taylor reaches out and touches her mum through…𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓟𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓪𝓵
🗽 The Portal forms an unprecedented visual bridge between New York and Dublin.
Each sculpture features a 24/7 visual live stream from the Portal in the other… pic.twitter.com/ODfmLPRfWx
— University College Dublin (@ucddublin) May 9, 2024
Benediktas Gylys, the Lithuanian artist who created the exhibition stated, “Portals are an invitation to meet people above borders and differences and to experience our world as it really is – united and one.”
Image credit: Ideogram
