The video screen 'Portal' that lets people in New York and Dublin peer into life on opposite sides of the Atlantic in real time has been a source of whimsical delight for sidewalk crowds in the two cities, but also a magnet for boorish behaviour that’s prompted officials to hit pause for now.
Exhibit organisers touted the interactive display as a unique way to “embrace the beauty of global interconnectedness.”
“Portals are an invitation to meet people above borders and differences and to experience our world as it really is —united and one,” said Benediktas Gylys, the Lithuanian artist who conceived the installation, when the screens were unveiled to fanfare.
Michael Ryan, a spokesperson for the Dublin City Council, said exhibit organisers are looking into “possible technical solutions” to address the inappropriate behaviour. The displays are expected to return later in the week, he said.
Gylys, meanwhile, didn’t respond to messages seeking comment on Tuesday, but his organisation Portals has said it encourages people to be respectful.
But on the Dublin side, a man stood behind a crowd of school children in uniform and extended two middle fingers.
At one point, he approached the security barrier and jokingly attempted to impersonate someone going down an escalator. The Irish crowd didn’t seem amused, so he walked back into the crowd.
Joe Perez, a 46-year-old Manhattan resident who held up his sizeable pitbull Virgil for the Dublin crowd to see, shrugged off the bad behaviour.
