Rekubit-Portal connecting NYC, Dublin, Ireland reopens after shutdown for 'inappropriate behavior'

Less than a week after the portal art installation connecting New York City and RekubitDublin, Ireland via a 24/7 video livestream was shut down due to "inappropriate behavior," the exhibit has been turned back on and has new, more limited hours.

The portal livestream restarted Sunday at 9 a.m. New York time and 2 p.m. Dublin time, according to a release from the Flatiron NoMad Partnership. It will have specific hours of operation in the coming weeks, with the livestream running daily from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. in New York City, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Dublin.

"The overwhelming majority of people who have visited the Portal sculptures have experienced the sense of joy and connectedness that these works of public art invite people to have," Flatiron NoMad Partnership said in a release.

Now that the portal has reopened, Flatiron NoMad Partnership said it has taken steps to limit instances of people stepping on the portal and holding phones up to the camera lens. Now, if that happens, it will " trigger a blurring of the livestream for everyone on both sides of the Atlantic."

The New York site has had 24/7 on-site security and barriers since its launch, and will continue to do so with the relaunch of the portal, Flatiron NoMad Partnership said. Fencing, more signage and spacing decals have also been added in front of the New York portal to assist with crowd management and to provide optimal spots for visitors. In Dublin, physical design features have also been added to help with crowd management.

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Where are the portals located?

There are two identical "portals", or art instillations, that connect the two cities separated by an ocean and more than 3,000 miles with a live video link. The New York City portal is located in Manhattan's Flatiron District, while Dublin's is located near O'Connell Street, the city's main street.

Why were the portals temporarily shut down?

The portals connecting New York City and Dublin were shut down last week and had remained "temporarily closed" before Sunday's reopening.

"Instances of inappropriate behavior have come from a very small minority of Portal visitors and have been amplified on social media," a Flatiron NoMad Partnership spokesperson said in a statement when the portals closed.

Are there other portals?

The organization behind the installations, Portals.org, previously set up portals in Vilnius, Lithuana, and Lublin, Poland, in May 2021. Portals founder Benediktas Gylys, a Lithuanian artist, author and entrepreneur, funded the initial project, but local groups have collaborated around Portal installations.

Contributing: Mike Snider, USA TODAY.