Irish pranksters are using the ‘portal’ between Manhattan and Dublin to troll New Yorkers with 9/11 videos and nudes.
The futuristic sculpture forms a 24/7 virtual bridge, livestreaming life from across the Atlantic.
The New York City Portal is in front of the Flatiron building on Fifth Avenue and the Dublin building on O’Connell Street, in front of the GPO and the Spire.
When the Portal was activated on May 8, crowds from both countries gathered with signs reading “Hello from New York” and “Welcome to Dublin.”
But it didn’t take long for those with a different sense of humor to take ownership of the project’s wholesome intentions.
Irish pranksters use ‘portal’ between Manhattan and Dublin to troll New Yorkers with 9/11 videos and nudes
An Irishman changed his view to a video of the World Trade Center towers burning and billowing with black smoke during the 9/11 attack.
Social media is flooded with videos of hooligans showing their butts to strange ocean liners, or much worse.
The usual sight of people waving from the historic Irish capital was interrupted just hours after the portal opened by a close-up of a man’s phone.
It first showed ‘RIP Popsmoke’, in reference to American rapper Bashar Barakah Jackson, who was shot dead in a home invasion on February 19, 2020.
Five men broke into Jackson’s Los Angeles home demanding jewelry and shot him three times with a Beretta M92 when he tried to fight them.
The Irishman then switched views to a video of the World Trade Center towers burning and billowing with black smoke during the 9/11 attack.
Another video showed a woman being dragged out of the portal by police after rubbing herself against the screen.
Another video showed a woman being dragged out of the portal by police after rubbing herself against the screen.
“She was basically there for about 20 minutes very drunk and banging and grinding on the door before the guards came in,” the person who filmed it explained.
Less extreme was an Irishman who greeted the dozens of Americans on the other side, before turning around and mocking them.
Another man held up a swastika on his phone and a lot of middle fingers were exchanged on both sides.
The exhibits will remain open through the fall, but no official end date has been announced.
“Portals are an invitation to meet people across borders and differences and to experience our world as it really is: united and one,” said Benediktas Gylys, Lithuanian artist and founder of The Portal.
Dublin Mayor Daithí De Róiste launched the portal in Dublin (pictured), showing people in New York City.
The Portal offers an unfiltered live view from O’Connell Street in Dublin to the Flatiron Building on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
“Live streaming offers a window between distant locations, allowing people to come together outside their social circles and cultures, transcend geographic borders and embrace the beauty of global interconnectedness.”
The Mayor of Dublin, Daithí De Róiste, inaugurated the portal in Dublin which included a performance by The Liberties Majorettes as a nod to New York.
In the coming months, the two cities will share scheduled programming to celebrate New York Design Week and other cultural performances that have not yet premiered.
“Two incredible global cities, connected in real time and space,” said Ya-Ting Liu, director of public affairs for New York City, adding, “That’s something you don’t see every day!” .
‘We are very excited to have the portal as an interactive public art installation, showcasing the vitality of our city streets and providing a new point for human connection between New Yorkers and Dubliners.
The Portal was first created in 2021 by Lithuanian artist Benediktas Gylys, who also primarily funded it. Pictured: The Dublin portal ahead of its unveiling today.
The Portal was first revealed in 2021 by the Benefiktas Gylys Foundation, a non-profit organization that works to unify nations and has already created similar portals in Lithuania and Poland.
“One of my main goals as mayor is to make the city more inclusive,” said De Róiste, who announced that the Dublin portal will also connect to other Portal locations from July.
“I encourage Dubliners and visitors to the city to come and interact with the sculpture and bring an Irish welcome and friendliness to cities around the world.”
The Portal presents a new type of sculptural art that uses science and technology to connect people around the world and is an important focus for the Simons Foundation.
Worked alongside Dublin, Flatiron NoMad, NYC DOT Art, portals.org and the European Capital of Smart Tourism to bring The Portal to life.
De Róiste announced that the Dublin portal will also connect with other Portal locations in Poland and Lithuania from July.
Gylys first thought of the portal in 2016, when a spiritual experience led him to see the planet through a different lens and he developed a need to “counter polarizing ideas” and find a way for people from different cultures to communicate. .
“Public spaces are what make New York City so vibrant and exciting,” said David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation.
‘From music to art, the use of public spaces amplifies the collective voice of our city. “We are committed to ensuring that science and technology remain part of that voice.”
Gylys first thought of the concept in 2016, when a spiritual experience led him to see the planet through a different lens and he developed a need to “counter polarizing ideas” and find a way for people from different cultures to communicate. .
It provided the majority of the funds needed to build the first two portals in collaboration with a team from VilniusTech University in Lithuania.
The first two portals opened in May 2021 in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius and the Polish city of Lublin.