August 10, 2026
Michael Tanenbaum/PhillyVoice
The Portals Organization is seeking a new partner to find a long-term home in Philly for the livestream video sculpture — now at City Hall — that connects to people in companion cities around the world. The project's partnership with the city expires at the end of October.
Philadelphia's two-year experiment hosting the Portal livestream sculpture may be coming to an end unless the organization behind the project can find a new partner with a place to put it.
The circular screen, now installed in the City Hall courtyard, connects observers to people standing in front of similar sculptures in a handful of European cities, the Philippines and Brazil. Philly is the only place in North America that has one, but the Portal Organization's partnership with the city is set to expire Oct. 31.
"A preferred path forward must be identified by the end of September so preparations for a new site can begin before the current placement ends," the organization said Monday in a statement on its website. "Without a new local partnership, the Portal may need to relocate to another city."
The Portal that's now in Philly originally debuted in New York City in May 2024. It was temporarily shut down within weeks there following reports of an OnlyFans model flashing the camera and another visitor presenting images of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
When the sculpture was moved to LOVE Park in October 2024, city leaders and project organizers touted its arrival as a beacon of global exchange ahead of the America's 250th anniversary. The sculpture was vandalized at least twice at LOVE Park, where police said one thief stole copper wire from the Portal and another person cracked the screen. The Portals Organization later held a public vote to determine a new location for the sculpture, resulting in its move to City Hall in April 2025.
Organizers said last year that the Portal only had support from the city to remain here for two years. City officials did not respond Monday when asked whether extending the partnership was ever considered, and the Portals Organization could not be reached for comment on a preferred landing place.
The 24/7 livestreams between cities originated as an art project by Lithuanian artist Benediktas Gylys, who sought to foster global connections between people of different nationalities. Visitors can wave at each other and hold up signs as the sculpture cycles between video feeds, which do not have sound. At LOVE Park and City Hall, the sculpture has been a curiosity for tourists and a place to get a glimpse of life in far flung cities like Vilnius, Lithuania; Dublin, Ireland; Lublin, Poland; and Taguig, Philippines.
Gylys wants to expand the Portals project into a permanent network with Philly as one of its host cities.
“In the City of Brotherly Love, the Portal became a place where pure human connection could be felt every day,” Gylys said in a statement. “It belongs in Philadelphia. What we need now is for a local partner to step forward and say yes.”
The Portals Organization said it is seeking a partner organization with "access to a prominent, publicly accessible location" that has open space, power and an internet connection. The sponsoring partner would need to support relocating and refurbishing the sculpture, which was damaged during its initial installation in LOVE Park. The organization said it is open to working with several partners to keep the sculpture in Philly.
"While its City Hall placement was temporary, the ambition has always been for the sculpture to become a lasting landmark in Philadelphia," the Portals Organization said.
