People in New York can see Dubliners going about their everyday business, while those in Dublin can observe New Yorkers too, thanks to a project to bring people closer together through technology.
24-hour live stream
Referred to as “portals”, the two connections allow locals and tourists in both locations to watch their counterparts across the Atlantic all day every day if they want to, via 24-hour, seven-days-a-week, live-streamed views appearing on giant screens in busy areas of the two cities. The initiative was given the go-ahead as part of Dublin’s new European Smart City 2024 designation.
In Dublin, the screen has been installed where North Earl Street and O’Connell Street meet, near the capital’s famed General Post Office and a well-known statue of James Joyce. In New York, the portal is situated on at one of the city’s most iconic spots, at Flatiron South Public Plaza, Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and 23rd Street.
Invitation to meet – and to flirt?
The brainchild of Lithuanian artist Benediktas Gylys, the portals have been described by the artist as “an invitation to meet people above borders and differences and to experience our world as it really is – united and one.” In some ways they are a visual extension of the way many towns and cities across the world are connected culturally and socially through so-called “twinning” associations. But these screens are going much further and the team behind the concept says there are no restrictions on how to interact.
@thatgirl.br #nyc #dublin #portal #nyctodublin ♬ i like the way you kiss me – Artemas
As well as cheering and waving across the screens, some people are reportedly taking the invitation to connect rather literally, with flirting and exchanges of phone numbers taking place, according to Euronews.
In a more hi-brow use of the portals, cultural exchanges are calendared with spectators able to watch performances and events across the world. The screens are set to remain in place throughout the summer season until autumn 2024 and additional live links from Dublin to other cities in Poland, Brazil and Lithuania will be going online from July, according to Dublin’s Lord Mayor, Daithí De Róiste. If successful, the portals may well be set to become a more permanent fixture.
Two amazing global cities, connected in real-time and space.
Ya-Ting Liu, New York City’s Chief Public Realm Officer
De Róiste described the portal link as a reminder of the “deep historical and cultural bond” between Dublin and New York, where huge numbers of Irish immigrants settled. The Mayor also took advantage of the advent of the portals to “encourage Dubliners and visitors to the city to come and interact with the sculpture and extend an Irish welcome and kindness to cities all over the world.”
