The futuristic video portal designed to connect New York City with Dublin has been shut down due to some horrifying behavior.
This is why we can't have nice things.
If you've been on the internet at all recently, chances are you've seen footage of the real-time portal in use.
Designed by Lithuanian artist Benediktas Gylys, the 'portal' was meant to be an 'invitation to meet people above borders and differences and to experience our world as it really is - united and one'.
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We've seen some friendly folks using the portal as intended as they waved and took pictures with people halfway across the world, but unfortunately there's also been some much more unsavory scenes.
Videos from New York have revealed people in Dublin using the portal to show images of the 9/11 tragedy to those across the pond, as well as pulling their pants down to show them a full moon - which had nothing to do with the time difference.
It wasn't only the Irish misbehaving on the portal though, as another clip showed a woman said to be an OnlyFans model pulling up her shirt in front of the camera to broadcast her breasts across the globe.
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As a result of all the chaos, one of the organizers for the portal, the Flatiron NoMad Partnership, told the New York Post the portal has been shut down so staff members can try to come up with a way to stop the bad behavior.
“Instances of inappropriate behavior have come from a very small minority of Portal visitors and have been amplified on social media,” they said.
“In New York, we have had a set of protocols in place since the Portal’s launch, including 24/7 on-site security and barriers to prevent people from stepping onto the Portal.
“The Portals team and our partners in Dublin are working on additional solutions to limit such behavior appearing on the livestream.”
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A source with knowledge of the project added to the publication that organizers in Dublin will be encouraged to add barricades to prevent people from getting too close.
They also claimed organizers may consider closing the portal at night to minimize the lewd behavior once it reopens.
However, though there are a few people who obviously can't resist messing with the portal, the Flatiron NoMad Partnership has stressed that the portal has also brought a lot of joy, attracting tens of thousands of visitors since it was installed.
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“The overwhelming majority of visitors to the Portal have behaved appropriately and experienced the sense of joy and connectedness that this work of public art invites people to have,” the group said.
Here's hoping people will learn to play nice with the portal once it reopens!
Topics: New York, Social Media, Technology, US News, Viral, Ireland
Emily Brown