Amanda: I arrived at the Portal in Manhattan’s Flatiron District just before 11 a.m. Novel York time and discovered that there was now a fence separating people a few feet from it (but the same wasn’t happening in Dublin). This is part of a fresh security measure implemented by the organizers: if someone steps on the portal or blocks the camera, the live broadcast will be blurred for both parties, organizers say. For the next hour, a steady stream of people, usually about 30 of them, stopped at the Portal. They waved, smiled, danced the YMCA and the Macarena on both sides. People brought their dogs, and a group of preschoolers in line walked by and waved.
David: Dublin’s Portal, located opposite Dublin’s main artery, O’Connell Street and historic building of the Main Post Office, has one constant observer – James Joyce. A monument to the most notable Irish writer and author of the archetypal Dublin novel, Ulysses, stands just a few meters from the video screen. But instead of reciting Joyce, it was an American rapper of the 20th century who particularly inspired one of the Portal’s guests. A woman dressed in head-to-toe white danced silently in front of the screen for a few minutes before turning around and singing: “You better lose yourself in the music, the moment you have it, you better never let it go. You only have one shot, don’t miss your chance to strike. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime.” Joyce and Eminem may not seem like natural bedfellows, but in Dublin and pre-Portal, getting lost in the moment seemed oddly appropriate.
Amanda: Although we couldn’t hear Eminem’s lyrics on the Novel York side of the Portal, the crowd happily watched the woman’s energy and dance moves. Even without sound, people were able to convey their emotions and all eyes were on the mute performance broadcast from Dublin.
David: Police in Ireland finally took action on the Eminem tribute, but one of the “Dublin Portal Ambassadors” – who clearly told me he was not part of security – believed the woman was doing no harm. Although the ambassador, who declined to give his name, added that things had indeed become a bit noisier after 6pm the previous evening, with some groups on pub crawls around the city briefly disrupting other people’s interactions before things quickly returned to normal. As part of the measures put in place to reopen the Portal, opening hours have been reduced to 6am – 4pm Eastern Time (11am – 9pm Dublin Time).
The portals are 3.4 meters high and weigh “several tons,” say the organizers, but they do not provide details about the camera and screen technology used, adding: “It’s like paint on an image – we want viewers to focus on the result.”
Amanda: Those working on the Novel York side handed out posters reading “I love Dublin” and “Clover Dublin” for people to hold, artificially increasing the perceived goodwill between the two cities. One person working told me they haven’t seen any issues since reopening – it’s just love and good vibes.