It's goodbye New York and hello Philadelphia for Dublin's Portal, which began its live stream connection with the City of Brotherly Love on Tuesday, October 22.
After reports that the New York end of the Portal was set to be relocated "more permanent," the futuristic installation has found a new home in Philly.
Dublin City Council welcomed the announcement from Portals.org that the New York City Portal had been relocated to JFK Plaza - aka 'Love Park' - in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The livestream will now alternate every three minutes between Dublin, Vilnius, Lublin, and now, Philadelphia.
Dublin City Council also announced that the Dublin Portal installation - located on O'Connell Street, facing the GPO and the Spire - has been extended until January 31, 2025, and is now broadcasting from 8 am - 8 pm daily.
Dublin City Council shared these clips from the launch of its Portal connection with Philadelphia on Tuesday:
Dublin City Council are delighted to announce the Dublin Portal is now linked to Philadelphia in the USA. The Portal is Philadelphia is located in the city's JFK Plaza. The livestream will now alternate every 3 minutes between Dublin, Vilnius, Lublin and Philadelphia. pic.twitter.com/90KhztUC96
— Dublin City Council (@DubCityCouncil) October 22, 2024
Center City District in Philadelphia, meanwhile, shared this look from its end:
View this post on Instagram
Joseph Callahan, a core team member of Portals, said in a statement via Dublin City Council: “As a proud Philadelphia native, I’m excited to introduce the Portal to a city that thrives on creativity and shared experiences.
“We’re creating a first-of-its-kind global artwork, a network of Portal sculptures that invites people to share a moment in time with people from distant cultures using universal languages of signs, music and joy."
Michael Newmuis, 2026 Director, City of Philadelphia, commented: “The Portal’s arrival in the heart of Philadelphia is an exciting moment for our city that offers a new way to engage with the world, particularly ahead of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
"This project is a celebration of our city’s spirit of innovation and unity.
“The Portal is an extension of the public space, it’s like a window. We are grateful to portals.org and the Flatiron NoMad Partnership for this generous activation.
"The Portals have been active and welcomed for more than three years in Europe, to much popular success, and we are excited to offer the people of Philadelphia an opportunity to experience this interactive and unparalleled artwork in Love Park.”
Benediktas Gylys, Founder of portals.org, added: “The addition of the Portal in Philadelphia is an exciting step forward in our mission to build a bridge to a united planet.
“Each of these sculptures serves as a reminder that we share more than what divides us, offering a unique opportunity to experience our world as one united home planet."
The Dublin end of The Portal first connected with New York City on May 8, though the installation soon generated international headlines for some inappropriate behavior on both sides of the Atlantic.
The connection was shut down for a period as the teams explored "technical solutions." It eventually reopened on May 18, though the 24-hour live stream between Dublin and New York was scaled back to ten hours per day.
In August, Nicolas Klaus of the Portals organization told IrishCentral that the temporary permit for the NYC end of the Portal - located in Flatiron South Public Plaza at Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and 23rd Street - would expire on September 2 and that the team was looking for a more permanent location for the installation.
At the time, Klaus noted that the Dublin-New York Portal "generated billions of online impressions" and had "drawn thousands of daily visitors."
"In New York, foot traffic at the Flatiron South Plaza surged by 47% over the 2023 monthly average, while the Dublin Portal has welcomed over 200,000 visitors to date since its launch," Klaus said in August.
"The Portals have become vibrant hubs for cultural exchange, hosting events ranging from dance competitions to successful marriage proposals."
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