The Portal was recently unveiled in Flatiron, but it was temporarily closed after some Dubliners and New Yorkers got cheeky. Now it’s been reawakened with enhanced safety measures.
The Portal is an art installation through which New York can see Dublin and Dublin can see New York. It was unveiled earlier this month but had to take a snooze because some spectators were showing more than just their faces, among other reports of inappropriate behavior. Portal organizers say security has been on site since it launched, but they have installed fencing in New York. More signage and spacing decals have been added to help with crowd management.
“We saw people coming to close to the Portal and trying to take control of the camera, and we decided to introduce proximity censors so if someone comes too close to the Portal, the view blurs on both sides of the Atlantic and the experience stops for everyone,” Portal founder Benediktas Gylys told News 12 New York.
Organizers say design features are also being updated on the Dublin side.