The group behind the viral art installation “Portal” at Flatiron Plaza in New York City has moved the livestreaming sculpture/social experiment to Philadelphia, Portals.org confirmed Saturday.
Social media users noticed that the mysterious portal, while not yet connected to the others around the world, was recently placed in Philadelphia’s Love Park. Photographer HughE Dillon captured the illuminated portal on Friday evening, posting photos and video to his Instagram account @PhillyChitChat.
Portals.org says the portal will be turned on next week and will connect to several others around the world via a 24/7 livestream. According to the organization’s website, there are established portals in Vilnius, Lithuania; Lublin, Poland; Dublin, Ireland and soon one in the state of Piaui, Brazil.
More information about Philly’s portal will be revealed during a press conference Tuesday morning.
The portal in New York was connected to an identical portal in Dublin. Since its unveiling on May 8, the New York portal attracted thousands of visitors as New Yorkers fell in love with fostering real-time connections with Dubliners through a livestream.
But bad behaviorincluding people flashing the screen or holding up disturbing images, subsequently led to the portal being closed. After a few days, the portal reopened with additional security measures on both the New York and Dublin sides.
Benediktas Gylys founded Portals.org after “I felt a deep need to counter polarizing ideas and communicate that the only way we can continue our journey on this beautiful spaceship called Earth is together,” he said, according to his website . “I didn’t want to enter the ring and fight, but offer something with love and light.”
Hugh E Dillon
The back of the portal states that it is a ‘bridge to a united planet’.
