ENTRE News – An art project connecting Dublin, Republic of Ireland with New York, United States (US), via a live video portal has temporarily closed after operating for less than a week. The closure was due to inappropriate behavior. The two installations, known as “The Portals,” are round, lens-like installations with 24/7 video links, allowing residents and visitors in both cities to interact with each other.
Unfortunately, some users have displayed inappropriate behavior, including exposing their sensitive body parts. On the other hand, Dubliners also sent videos of the September 11 attacks or 9/11, which is a sensitive topic in the US.
The September 11 attacks were a tragic event in which a group of suicidal terrorists hijacked FOR4D a US commercial airliner and crashed it into two skyscrapers in New York City, killing thousands of people. The footage was posted and viewed millions of times on social media.
As organizers of this project, Dublin City Council and the Flatiron Nomad Partnership in New York have taken action to address the issue. Dublin City Council said the installation was shut down on Monday and Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Flatiron Nomad Partnership in New York said the installation was stopped until 03:00 EST (08:00 GMT) on Wednesday, as quoted by the BBC.
“While we cannot control all of these actions, we are implementing several technical solutions to address this and these solutions will be implemented within the next 24 hours,” Dublin City Council said.
Flatiron Nomad Partnership said it would install software updates to limit such behavior from appearing on live streams.
“In New York, we have implemented a series of protocols since the launch of The Portals, including 24/7 security on site and barriers to prevent people from entering The Portals,” he said in.
He added that he would be placing more staff and barriers on site outside the Flatiron Building in Manhattan FOR4D to prevent people from stepping on The Portals. The partnership said that the majority of visitors had behaved appropriately and felt the joy and connection that this piece of public art was intended to evoke. According to him, inappropriate behavior comes from a very small minority. The portal was originally intended to remain on display until the fall. Dubliners have also expressed their annoyance at the temporary suspension of the live video portal.