'Nudity, 9/11 taunts & more': Dublin to New York video portal shuts down due to unruly behaviour (WATCH)

The Dublin-New York portal, designed to foster connection between two distant cities, has been temporarily shut down due to reports of misconduct. Originally conceived to bridge the gap between communities, the portal featured sculptures in both cities, offering live streams that allowed residents to glimpse into each other's lives. Heartwarming scenes of grandparents bonding with their grandchildren and cultural exchanges like Irish jigs being performed for transatlantic audiences were commonplace. There was even a heartwarming proposal witnessed through the portal.

However, amidst the positive interactions, there were instances of inappropriate behaviour. Some individuals from both cities engaged in indecent exposure, with reports of New Yorkers and Dubliners displaying nudity and provocative gestures. Additionally, there were disturbing incidents, such as one Dublin resident displaying insensitive imagery related to the tragic events of 9/11.

Another incident involved a woman being escorted away by Irish police after she was observed engaging in inappropriate behaviour by grinding against the portal itself, while others exchanged rude gestures.

The installation, launched on May 8 and designed by Lithuanian artist Benediktas Gylys, features structures with screens measuring 2.4 meters (8 feet) in diameter and weighing 3.5 tonnes each. The New York portal is situated at the intersection of Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and 23rd Street, while its counterpart in Ireland's capital is located at the corner of North Earl Street and O'Connell Street in the heart of Dublin.

In response to these incidents, a spokesman for Dublin City Council emphasized that despite these regrettable occurrences, the overwhelming majority of interactions through the portal have been positive.

In a statement, a spokesman for Dublin City Council said, "The Portal offers a window to other cities and is connecting people and cultures in a unique manner – what we are seeing between Dublin and NY is reflective of a wider narrative of cultural behaviour. Unfortunately, we have also been witnessing a very small minority of people engaged in inappropriate behaviour, which has been amplified through social media."

"While we cannot control all of these actions, we are implementing some technical solutions to address this and these will go live in the next 24 hours. We will continue to monitor the situation over the coming days with our partners in New York to ensure that Portals continue to deliver a positive experience for both cities and the world," the spokesman added.

The Portals Organisation stated, “As Portals Organisation, we do not intend to suggest people to interact with Portals in any particular way – our goal is to open a window between far away places and cultures that allows people to interact freely with one another. We encourage people to be respectful and from our position as observers, we see that the absolute majority of experiences is on the bright side.”

• 9/11 imagery
• Benediktas Gylys
• Dublin
• Dublin City Council
• Dublin-New York portal
• Irish jigs
• Lithuanian artist
• New York
• New York portal
• Offbeat News
• Portals Organisation
• cultural behaviour
• grandparents
• grinding
• inappropriate behaviour
• indecent exposure
• intersection
• launch
• live streams
• misconduct
• nudity
• positive interactions
• proposal
• provocative gestures
• respectful interaction
• rude gestures
• screens
• sculptures
• social media
• structures
• technical solutions
• woman escorted