Dublin’s latest public art installation, the Portal, was shut down this week just days after it was switched on because a minority of people in front of the giant window that connects Dublin and New York took the opportunity to drop their pants, take illegal substances or generally behave “badly”.
Most others had fun, waving at New Yorkers, playing rock paper scissors across the Atlantic and simply enjoying the novelty of it all.
However, the not-very-art-world rationale appears to be that if you can’t play nicely, the toy will be taken away – for a while anyway.
The interactive, live stream sculpture is the idea of Lithuanian artist Benediktas Gylys and is a collaboration between several organisations, including Dublin City Council and the EU Capital of Smart Tourism.
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Podcast producer Declan Conlon went to North Earl Street the night before the Portal was turned off to see how Dubliners were interacting with New Yorkers, and art critic Tom Lordan gives his take on the controversial art work.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan and Declan Conlon.
