A "portal" connecting the cities of New York and Dublin has been shut down less than a week after its unveiling due to "inappropriate" acts by the public - including an OnlyFans' flashing.
The artwork was the brainchild of Lithuanian artist Benediktas Gylys and features a circular screen sculpture in each host city, with a 24/7 webcam forming a "portal" between the two; allowing passers-by in Dublin and New York to interact with one another via the window.
The goal of the project was to create a "bridge to a united planet", promote the "sharing of ideas" and expand international connections, with plans for further installments worldwide. As the European Capital of Smart Tourism 2024, the artwork was also originally part of a tourism promotion for Dublin.
But the temptation to act up for the camera has seemingly proved too strong for many members of the public, with the portal plagued by several flashing incidents since its opening on May 8.
On Monday (local time), New York-based adult model and OnlyFans star Ava Louise saw the artwork as a portal to viral fame, flashing Dubliners in a move that was filmed and has since been widely circulated online.
Louise, 25, later said in a post on her Instagram that she simply wanted to show the Irish capital her "home-grown potatoes", and took responsibility for the portal being shut down.
She explained she had her boyfriend, fellow OnlyFans creator Vinny Buffa, distract security while she gave Dubliners the unexpected view from the Big Apple and quickly made her escape.
"I just got the portal from New York City to Dublin shut down," she said in a video shared with her 419,000 followers on Instagram.
"I thought the people of Dublin deserved to see my two New York - home-grown - potatoes, and then this happened."
However, Louise did not break the law in revealing her "potatoes" as it's not illegal for women or men to be topless in New York.
It's not the first time the TikTok star has made headlines: in 2019 she told TV host Dr Phil she would "rather die hot than live ugly" and in 2020, she went viral for licking a toilet seat on an airplane amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, Louise alleged in a viral video that Kanye West and controversial make-up artist Jeffree Starr were in a relationship. The model later admitted she fabricated the rumour because she was "bored", noting there was "literally not one bit of truth to anything I have said".
"I just tricked the entire world into talking about me again because I was on a lot of Adderall and bored. And that's on being an icon," she said at the time.
Flashing wasn't the only issue to beset the sculptures; according to reports and footage on social media, drugs were also consumed in front of the screens, while an individual in Dublin also displayed images of the 9/11 attacks to the New York crowd.
As a result, the intercity video link was switched off by the Dublin City Council from 10pm on Tuesday (local time), with its organisers, Portals.org, saying the livestream was expected to return later in the week once a solution had been found.
"We are delighted by how many people have been enjoying the Portal since it was launched last week," a statement by the City Council read. "It has become a global phenomenon and it is important to note that the overwhelming majority of people interacting with the Dublin Portal have behaved appropriately."
Possible technical solutions to mitigate "inappropriate behaviour by a small minority of people" were being investigated, it said.
"The Portals project embodies... bringing together technology, engineering and art to bring communities from across the world closer together and to allow people to meet and connect outside of their social circles and cultures," said Dublin Lord Mayor, Daithí de Róiste.
The New York-based portal is reportedly expected to move to destinations in Poland, Brazil and Lithuania.
Prototypes of the portals were first installed in Vilnius, Lithuania and Lublin, Poland in 2021, which reportedly did not see nearly as many lewd interactions.
