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The Portal is live again at LOVE Park

The Philadelphia Portal is back online in LOVE Park.

Portal viewers in Philadelphia’s LOVE Park “reach out” to viewers on screen at the public webcam in Litewski Square in Lublin, Poland, on Nov. 23, 2024.
Portal viewers in Philadelphia’s LOVE Park “reach out” to viewers on screen at the public webcam in Litewski Square in Lublin, Poland, on Nov. 23, 2024.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer

Call it down, but not out. After a hiatus, at least two vandalism incidents, and amid an uncertain future, Philly’s edition of the Portals art installation is back online.

The Portal, which connects visitors via livestream with Portal visitors in other countries, debuted in October at LOVE Park with live images from Dublin, Ireland; Vilnius, Lithuania; and Lublin, Poland.

After being disconnected and covered with a tarp since February, the Portal returned on Friday morning.

“Hello, Dublin,” Joe Callahan, a director of the Portals project, said Friday when the stream went live, waving and inviting others to join him.

However, the Portal won’t be in LOVE Park forever. Company officials said at a news conference Wednesday they were considering three new locations for the Portal, citing vandalism and logistics.

Thieves cut out copper wire from the installation and Portal engineers believe rocks caused additional damage that led to the project being covered up with a tarp. Of the nearly half a dozen Portal locations globally, Portal officials say, no other locations have had issues with vandalism.

The move will also help organizers avoid having to move the 3.5-ton Portal out of the way for the annual Christmas Village setup.

The Portal’s longevity in Philadelphia is also unclear. But Callahan has promised the installation will remain at least through America’s 250th birthday in 2026. He said more details are expected about the Portal’s next location next week.