Having been at the center of global media attention, Portals have emerged as iconic landmarks, generating billions of online impressions and attracting an average of 25,000 weekly visitors onsite in Dublin. On the Flatiron South Plaza in New York City, foot traffic surged by 47% over the 2023 monthly average. Previously connected in pairs (NYC to Dublin, and Vilnius to Lublin) the sculptures have fostered diverse interactions across the cities, including vibrant dance competitions, cultural performances, and successful marriage proposals.
The next chapter of the Portals journey realizes the original mission of the project by evolving from two-city connections to a first-of-its-kind, global artwork that invites people from multiple countries to meet in a spirit of unity. On August 24th, New York City, Dublin, Vilnius, and Lublin interconnect to form a global network of sculptures. The livestream rotates every 3 minutes throughout the day, starting at 8AM Eastern Time.
“We are thrilled to finally connect all four Portal sculptures together,” said Benediktas Gylys, founder and artist of portals.org. "The Portals mission is about building multiple Portals, which together form a global entity - a bridge to a united planet that invites people of distant cultures to meet above borders, differences and narratives. It took us eight years to arrive at this special day and we are grateful for the consistent support from our partners in Dublin, New York City, Vilnius, and Lublin. The current four Portals form the foundation of a network that will expand later this year, bringing Portals to even more countries around planet Earth.”
“The Portal in Dublin has attracted over 340,000 visitors since its launch in May and has brought a new lease of life to North Earl Street. We are delighted to see the network of cities expand to Vilnius and Lublin and look forward to seeing more people enjoy the Portals experience.” said the the Lord Mayor of Dublin, James Geoghegan.
“After waving hello to our friends in Dublin with the launch of Portal in the Flatiron neighborhood, the Portal is poised for a magnificent transition as it concludes its New York engagement on September 2nd. We’re delighted to invite visitors for a grand finale, offering both digital and in-person experiences with the addition of new rotating feeds from the exciting cities of Vilnius, Lithuania and Lublin, Poland ” said James Mettham, President of Flatiron Nomad Partnership.
“The Portal quickly won the hearts and mind of New Yorkers, and it is a delight to now celebrate four vibrant global cities being connected in real time", said New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “We encourage New Yorkers and tourists alike to continue to visit The Portal and experience this unique shared encounter.”
“We can discover how similar we all are through the use of portals, which connect us to a shared network that brings people from different places and cultures closer together. I hope that this idea, which originated in Lithuania, will continue to grow and connect the entire world, allowing people to better understand each other.” said Aušrinė Armonaitė, Minister of the Economy and Innovation of Lithuania
"We are delighted today to welcome Dublin and New York - the next cities to join this unique project. We are excited that our Portal is growing in reach and popularity, opening up unlimited opportunities for communication and collaboration on an international scale. Thanks to the installation, we can now peek into New York's Manhattan and Dublin's city centre, share culture, experiences and initiate new projects together" said Beata Stepaniuk-Kuśmierzak, Deputy Mayor of the City of Lublin for Culture, Sport and Participation.
The Dublin Portal is located on O'Connell Street, capturing the iconic vista of the GPO building and the Spire. The NYC Portal is situated at the Flatiron South Public Plaza, next to the famed Flatiron Building. The Vilnius Portal is positioned adjacent to the city's central station, and the Lublin Portal is located on the central city square, Litewski Square.
Visitors to the Portals will be able to meet each other in real time across four different time zones and engage in this global artwork. The network rotation is active daily from 8am to 3pm in NYC / 1pm to 8pm in Dublin / 2pm to 9pm in Lublin / 3pm to 10pm in Vilnius. More Portal locations are being added to the network later this year.
