An art project featuring live portals linking New York and Dublin has been temporarily shut down due to inappropriate behavior by participants.
The installation initially allowed people in Dublin and New York to interact through two circular portals, offering a live view into the other city. Participants engaged in friendly activities like waving or playing "rock, paper, scissors."
But the project faced setbacks as incidents of nudity and displays of offensive images, including those of terrorist attacks, led to its closure.
The decision to turn off the portals was made to find ways to prevent such misuse, as reported by the Irish broadcaster RTÉ on Wednesday.
"It's about us as humans creating the work of art together, but we have to make sure it's suitable for all audiences, including a seven-year-old child in New York who wants to connect with Dublin," stated the artist, Benediktas Gylys.
Nudity and Terrorism
Instances of indecent exposure included a woman in New York showing her breasts and a man in Dublin displaying his bare bottom. Some people also showed pornography and images of the September 11, 2001, attacks on their cell phones.
This project is the second of its kind, following a portal that has connected Vilnius, Lithuania, and Lublin, Poland, for over two years.
The new portals in New York and Dublin have attracted significant attention, located near Manhattan's Flatiron Building and on one of Dublin’s main streets.
Dublin City Council noted that while the portal became a global phenomenon with most people behaving appropriately, the few instances of misconduct necessitated its temporary closure.
