The art experiment lasted a week and then it was over. According to reports in the US magazine “ Time “, the livestream portal that connected New York City and Dublin was temporarily closed due to inappropriate behavior. Less than a week after it went live, not all users interacted with the portal in a pleasant way, but rather misused the offer through questionable behavior.
“Portal” should connect people
The portal was launched on May 8 with the aim of connecting people through technology and connecting them across borders. “Portals are an invitation to meet people across borders and differences and to experience our world as it truly is – united and one,” said Benediktas Gylys, the Lithuanian artist and founder of The Portal.
However, there were unwanted incidents: people behaved obscenely, danced inappropriately on the portal and even spread images of the 9/11 attack. The Dublin city council was therefore forced to temporarily close the portal. She made it clear that it was only a minority who were behaving inappropriately. However, videos of the behavior went viral online and attracted negative attention.
An OnlyFans model in particular is said to have been the final trigger why the portal was ultimately shut down. She bared her breasts in front of the portal and showed the astonished people of Dublin her bust. She posted a video of it on her TikTok channel. In the comments, users wrote that they were just wondering how long it would take for someone to take off their clothes in front of the stream.
Art installation is to be reopened
“While we cannot control all of these actions, we are in the process of implementing some technical solutions that will be operational in the next 24 hours,” Dublin City Council announced, according to Time.
The situation will continue to be monitored in the coming days together with partners in New York to ensure that the portals can continue to provide a positive experience for both cities and the world.
According to Dublin City Council, in the future the Dublin portal will be connected to other cities and destinations in Poland, Brazil and Lithuania. The connection to New York City is expected to remain in place until the fall, with additional cultural events beginning in mid-May.