Philadelphia now has a portal connecting it to the rest of the world. Originally installed in New York City in May, the portal art installation provides a continuous, unfiltered livestream to a similar device in Dublin, Ireland. This device also connects to portals in Vilnius, Lithuania, and Lublin, Poland, switching locations every three minutes. Another portal is planned to open in Piaui, Brazil, according to Portals.org, the organization behind the installations.
The concept for the Portals was created by Lithuanian artist and entrepreneur Benediktas Gylys, who envisioned connecting the world through these livestream installations. Additional portals are planned for installation in countries like Brazil and Ethiopia.
According to WCAU-TV, the portal’s screen arrived in Philadelphia with a minor crack that may have occurred either during transit or before installation. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Michael Newmuis, Philadelphia’s 2026 director, joked that the small crack resembles the one on the Liberty Bell. Newmuis told the KYW radio station the crack was not caused by vandalism. He added that a new screen has been ordered to fix the installlation soon.
“I can say confidently that crack is not the result of vandalism, and it’ll be fixed in a few days,” Newmuis told the station. “But we’re not going to let that give us a reason to not move forward in offering this unparalleled opportunity for people to engage.”
The Travel Addict stopped by Sunday afternoon to see people interacting with others from around the world. It is like the ultimate zoom call to me strangers across the globe just by waving and dancing together. The concept is a cool way to bring people together to get a glimpse of the cultures for those who may never travel to the other countries featured through the portal.
The portal will stay at the Love Park up until Nov. 7 before it’s moved to a different location in the city.