What did they think was going to happen?
Last week, a groundbreaking “portal” connecting New York, USA, and Dublin, Republic of Ireland, promised to bridge geographical divides and foster global unity. However, the lofty aspirations of this innovative project were short-lived as the portal was forced to close temporarily within a week of its launch due to incidents of “inappropriate behavior” originating from the Dublin side.
Conceived by Lithuanian artist Benediktas Gylys, the portals represented a novel concept aimed at transcending borders and cultural barriers. Each city streamed live footage of its surroundings onto a large circular screen, enabling citizens to interact and engage with individuals from distant locales.
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“Portals are an invitation to meet people above borders and differences and to experience our world as it really is – united and one,” Gylys elucidated in a statement. “The livestream provides a window between distant locations, allowing people to meet outside of their social circles and cultures, transcend geographical boundaries, and embrace the beauty of global interconnectedness.”
The initiative garnered widespread support, with Dublin’s Lord Mayor, Daithí De Róiste, extending a warm invitation to locals and visitors alike to embrace the spirit of inclusivity and hospitality. “I would encourage Dubliners and visitors to the city to come and interact with the sculpture,” remarked De Róiste, “and extend an Irish welcome and kindness to cities all over the world.”
Initial enthusiasm, however, was overshadowed by a series of disturbing incidents captured on camera shortly after the portal’s activation. Reports emerged of individuals in Dublin displaying offensive imagery, including images related to the 9/11 attacks, profanity, and indecent gestures directed towards New York.
In response to the alarming behavior, Dublin City Council swiftly intervened, opting to temporarily shut down the portal while exploring technical remedies to prevent further transgressions.
“While we cannot control all of these actions, we are implementing some technical solutions to address this and these will go live in the next 24 hours,” asserted the council in a statement provided to BBC News. “We will continue to monitor the situation over the coming days with our partners in New York to ensure that portals continue to deliver a positive experience for both cities and the world.”
According to reports from RTÉ, the proposed solution involves blocking the transmission of images held up to the portal’s cameras, thereby mitigating the dissemination of inappropriate content.
Although these measures may not completely eradicate misconduct, they signify a concerted effort to safeguard the integrity of the portal project and uphold its original vision of fostering global harmony.
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