The Portals: Dublin-New York video gateway shuts down amid alleged 'inappropriate behaviour'

The two sculptures, “The Portals,” are round, lens-like installations with a 24/7 video link to allow residents and visitors in the two cities to interact with each other, CNN reported.

According to reports, people were seen flashing body parts on the other end of the world through the instalment.

The installation, however, did not include an audio.

The creators of the sculptures are now “investigating possible technical solutions to inappropriate behaviour by a small minority of people in front of the Portal,” according to a statement from the Dublin City Council as quoted by CNN.

“Dublin City Council had hoped to have a solution in place today, but unfortunately the preferred solution, which would have involved blurring, was not satisfactory,” the City Council said

Organizers in New York said the behaviour came from a very small minority of the population.

“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,”  a statement from Flatiron NoMad Partnership, one of the project’s organizers in New York, was quoted as saying by CNN.

Flatiron NoMad Partnership posted on X: " Update: Portal will be temporarily paused and unavailable for viewing during the below dates and times. - Mon, 5/13 5PM to Tues, 5/14 3AM- Tues, 5/14 5PM to Wed, 5/15 3AM."

Where is the art present?

In New York City, the installation is present in Flatiron South Public Plaza at Broadway, Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street.

Lithuanian artist Benediktas Gylys is the brainchild of the The Portals.