Dubliners are frustrated because a live video “portal” between their city and New York has been temporarily turned off. This portal allows people in each city to see and interact with each other in real-time. The stream was switched off on Tuesday night because some people were behaving inappropriately.
On Wednesday, the screen showed a message saying: “Portal is asleep – back up soon.” Videos of the incidents have spread widely on social media. Some people were showing inappropriate body parts, mooning, and displaying swear words. One Dublin user even showed a video of the 9/11 attacks in New York.
The artist behind this installation, Benediktas Gylys, asked people to behave in a family-friendly manner. He said, “Everyone should think of a seven-year-old child in New York who wants to connect to Dublin and wave to people there.” Mr. Gylys made this request to the Irish broadcaster RTÉ.
Lucy Sky Moore O’Gorman, who spoke to BBC News NI beside the installation, said the behavior of a few people was disgraceful. “There’s no need for it, it’s just ruining the fun for everyone else,” she said. She had brought her younger sister to see the portal, and they were very disappointed to find it turned off. “I’ve shown her the videos and she was very excited to see it and now she doesn’t believe it’s real at all,” Ms. O’Gorman added.
Dublin City Council hoped to fix the issue by Wednesday. They considered a solution involving blurring, but it wasn’t satisfactory. The team behind the project is currently trying to find a way to stop any further inappropriate behavior. The council expects the portal to be back up later this week. They described the project as “a global phenomenon” and emphasized that most people using the installation have behaved appropriately.
In New York, promoters are also dealing with problems. For instance, a woman “flashed” in front of the screen. Now, more staff and barriers have been put up at the site outside the Flatiron Building in Manhattan to prevent such incidents.
Summary:
A live video portal between Dublin and New York, meant for people in both cities to interact, was turned off due to inappropriate behavior. Some users were showing offensive content, including nudity and videos of the 9/11 attacks. The artist behind the portal, Benediktas Gylys, has urged people to be considerate, especially for young viewers. Dublin City Council is working on a solution to prevent further misuse and expects the portal to be back up later this week. In New York, additional staff and barriers have been added to manage the situation better.
