A newly installed "portal" linking Dublin and New York City has gone viral after a member of the public in Dublin appeared to mock the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The Portal, an on-street art sculpture located on O'Connell Street in Dublin and in the Flatiron District in New York, shares live footage from both cities and allows for real-time interactions between New Yorkers and Dubliners.
However, an incident went viral over the weekend after someone on the Dublin side of the portal displayed images of the 9/11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center.
A video of the incident circulated on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday afternoon, generating more than 55 million views in just 24 hours.
In the video, a person in Dublin held their phone close to displaying a message saying "RIP Pop Smoke", a New York rapper who was shot dead in February 2020.
However, a second person then displayed an image of the Twin Towers burning on 9/11, drawing shocked reactions from the crowd in New York.
The New York / Ireland portal bouta start a war😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/0QTCmFVGvJ
— SolP (@SolProduced) May 11, 2024
The Portal, the brainchild of Lithuanian artist Benediktas Gylys, aims to allow people to "transcend geographical boundaries, and embrace the beauty of global interconnectedness".
"The live stream provides a window between distant locations, allowing people to meet outside of their social circles and cultures," Gylys said ahead of Wednesday's launch.
The art installation will remain a fixture of Dublin and New York's streetscapes throughout the summer and is due to run until the fall.
From July onward, the Portal will connect Dublin with other global destinations, including Brazil, Poland, and Lithuania.
It has proved popular among both Dubliners and New Yorkers since its launch on Wednesday, with hundreds of people flocking to both locations to engage in real-time interactions.
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