BGC Portal: Is the 24/7 art installation able to deliver on its promise for human connection?

The Philippines is the latest addition to the growing list of countries hosting Portal, a global public art installation featuring a 24/7 livestream connecting cities worldwide.

The newly installed on 5th Avenue in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), the Portal marks the first in Asia and only the sixth in the world, and links Manila to those in Vilnius (Lithuania), Lublin (Poland), Dublin (Ireland), Philadelphia (United States), and Ipswich (United Kingdom).

Its premise is simple: a circular structure with a built-in camera displays real-time movement from the city on the other side. Viewers see streets, passing cars, people walking by, and occasionally, friendly strangers who pause long enough to look straight into the Portal and wave hello.

BGC’s 5th Avenue is one of the busiest locations imaginable for the installation. Situated near the tail end of Bonifacio High Street, across One Bonifacio High Street Mall and Shangri-La at The Fort, the area is always abuzz with foot traffic, especially at night.

I visited the Portal on a rainy Tuesday after lunch. From Shangri-La, it took less than 10 minutes to walk to the installation. A barrier rope surrounds it, but the viewing area remains close enough to feel immersed.

People drift in and out, but many linger for five to 10 minutes. Some were snapping photos, others were simply standing still, perhaps puzzled at what exactly the Portal is meant to offer.

The installation doesn’t scream for attention. There are no sound systems or flashy decorations, yet it’s hard to ignore, especially when curious onlookers begin to gather.

Standing beside me was a child of about 7, who was accompanied by a caretaker and appeared to have just come from school. "What if they can throw snow at us?" She asked when the Portal switched to Philadelphia. It's hard not to smile at her imagination.

Each city appears on screen for about five minutes, long enough to grasp the differences in time, weather, architecture, and even the cities' daily rhythms.

It was afternoon in Manila, nighttime in Vilnius, and in Lublin, a calm early morning.

Because of the time difference, there wasn’t much activity in most of the cities shown — except for Dublin, which was experiencing a rainy early evening. 

Whenever people appeared on the screen, those of us gathered in front of the BGC Portal, myself included, enthusiastically waved. And even though we knew they couldn’t hear us, some of us said an audible hello.

Dubliners were still passing by, and though some ignored the Portal altogether, others took a moment to wave back at us. Some Dubliners even snapped photos of the BGC crowd through the Portal.

The interaction was brief, it was barely a minute, but it was enough to put a smile on our faces. The Portal delivered on its promise of human connection.

The Portal is powered by advanced technology, but the experience it offers feels refreshingly human. Connecting with strangers in this way is satisfying — perhaps as satisfying as an organic encounter, minus the romance.

I spoke to Matthew Perez, who visited the Portal the same time as me, and he said the experience was "very refreshing" and “worth visiting at least once."

"It's a way for people to have that temporary connection, the feeling that you're not alone," he said.

"There’s something very innocent about it," he continued. "In that brief moment, you get to see what life is like on the other side of the world without ever hopping on a plane." 

According to Perez, spending even a minute waving at strangers through the Portal isn’t such a bad idea.

“Because beyond brightening your day, you could be the key to brightening someone's day,” he said. “Somebody on the other side of the world could feel less alone because you wave at them.”

For those curious about how BGC looks from the other side of a Portal, a Filipino living in Dublin shared a video on TikTok, accompanied by the trending song “Ale” by The Bloomfields.

@jupiter2089 BGC portal x dublin portal #ireland #philippines ? Ale - The Bloomfields

The BGC Portal is spearheaded by the Portals Organization, a global network based in Vilnius and Berlin that creates immersive spaces connecting people across borders to experience Earth as one.

First conceived in 2016 by Benediktas Gylys, the first Portals installation opened in 2021, connecting Vilnius and Lublin. — LA, GMA Integrated News