Philly’s Portal is moving after vandalism, a concern organizers haven’t seen elsewhere
It’s a uniquely Philly situation: Of the nearly half dozen Portal locations globally, Portal officials say no other locations have had issues.
The company behind the international Portals art installation says Philadelphia’s component is moving out of LOVE Park, citing vandalism concerns and event planning logistics. But it will stay in Philly for now.
The news comes on the heels of freshly revealed damage to the Portal, with at least two occurrences of vandalism this year.
When it was turned on, the art installation connected people in other countries with Philadelphia via livestream. The Portal debuted in October at LOVE Park with live images from Dublin, Ireland; Vilnius, Lithuania; and Lublin, Poland.
The Portal has been covered since early February, when thieves cut a section of copper wire from the art installation. Last week, high winds blew off the tarp covering the Portal, revealing previous damage to the front screen and prompting a Reddit thread asking, “did somebody shoot the portal?” Joe Callahan, a director of the Portals project, told 6abc Monday that Portal engineers believe rocks caused the impact.
Still, it’s a uniquely Philly situation: Of the nearly half a dozen Portal locations globally, Portal officials say, no other locations have had issues with vandalism.
» READ MORE: Portal damage revealed by wind is from January, police say; installation may leave Philly if new funding isn’t found
In addition to the vandalism, Callahan also said organizers want to avoid having to move the Portal — which weighs about 3.5 tons — out of the way for the annual Christmas Village like they did last year.
Where will the Philly Portal go?
Organizers aren’t saying yet, but Portal officials are working with the city and are considering three potential locations. According to 6abc, one of those locations is indoors.
Portal officials say the grand reveal is coming in the next few weeks.
What about funding?
A Portal spokesperson, Nicolas Klaus, told The Inquirer last week that repairs to the installation had been delayed because of funding issues. Klaus said his organization was working to find sponsorships to keep the installation active and to find it a permanent Philadelphia location.
“Both of the above objectives have unfortunately not been realized so far, even though we have received plenty of interest from other U.S. cities to join the Portals artwork,” Klaus said. “We feel the Portal has been tremendously well received by the people of Philadelphia and we would love to keep it there, but one way or another it will move soon.”
So, the Portal could leave Philly altogether?
It’s possible the Portal could depart Philly entirely. But officials told 6abc it was hanging around at least through next year.
“I am 100% committed to keeping this Portal in Philadelphia through the celebration of our country’s 250th birthday,” Callahan said, essentially committing the installation’s residency through Philly’s Semiquincentennial celebration.
In a statement to The Inquirer, Callahan said discussions were “ongoing” regarding the Portal’s future. “We will share more information on it when we can.”
Inquirer staff reporter Robert Moran contributed to this article.