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co-ownership. “We’re still exploring the right approach for it,” Klaus admits. “The current version of the programme is basically a certificate that you can purchase. It would support our team in building more Portals while granting access to certain events and decisions that we want to make collectively.” Klaus hints at an imminent announcement about a ‘next version’ as well. Despite one small but mighty team running the organisation, “the Portals are supposed to be owned by everyone – by humanity,” claims Klaus. “That’s the longer-term vision; artwork that exists around the world, that people can be excited about and can use to share moments of connection.”
The Portals are – speaking from personal experience (I’ve visited both Lublin and Philadelphia, completely coincidentally) – relatively mellow overall. Klaus agrees: “99% of the time, you just have people waving and showing hand signs. The more interesting events are being published on social media and massively amplified. If you look at some of the news coverage about the Portals , you see a lot of these intense interactions – in all directions,” he says. “If you see them on Instagram or some other platforms, you get this perception of the world as being at the extremes, whereas in reality, if you meet people face to face, it’s not as polarised as social media might make you believe.” The Portals ultimately provide us with a reality check. ALL TOGETHER NOW If you’re looking to acquire a local Portal , you might have to get in line. Assembled in and then shipped from the German engineering site, each costs somewhere “in the six-figure domain – and that includes a lot of project management,” Klaus reveals. A city’s eligibility depends on electricity access, ease of installation and other local conditions too. For those who want to get involved, Portals offers a fellowship programme which encourages co-creation and
The Portals are supposed to be owned by everyone – by humanity – that’s the longer- term vision; artwork that exists around the world”
The team may be tiny, but it has a giant vision for the project, seeing installation of Portals all over the globe
This Portal in Lublin, Poland connects to one in Vilnius, Lithuania, entertaining visitors all day and night
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