The Philippines officially joined a growing global art network on Wednesday with the launch of the Portal installation in Bonifacio Global City, where a large circular sculpture now stands along 5th Avenue in front of the area’s well known 3D LED screen. The installation operates 24 hours a day and offers a live visual connection to five other locations around the world.
Unveiled by Lithuanian artist Benediktas Gylys, the Manila Portal allows people to see and interact in real time with others standing before similar sculptures overseas. During the launch, visitors waved, gestured, and held up handwritten messages that instantly appeared on screens thousands of kilometers away. Every three minutes, the Portal cycles through live feeds from Vilnius in Lithuania, Lublin in Poland, Dublin in Ireland, Philadelphia in the United States, and Ipswich in the United Kingdom.
Gylys described Portals as a shared human experience that exists beyond borders and outside the algorithms of social media. He said the project creates brief but meaningful encounters between people who would otherwise never meet, united only by a moment in time and a live visual connection.
The Portal’s design appears minimalist and futuristic, but Gylys said the technology behind it is highly complex. While he does not consider himself a technical expert, he credited a team of engineers for building the system, noting that each Portal is made up of more than a hundred different components. He declined to discuss the cost of each installation, explaining that the work requires significant funding, manpower, and long term technical support.
The BGC Portal was made possible through partnerships with CMC Contract Manufacturing Pte Ltd, Eurasia Marble and Granite Inc., Excell Contractors and Developers Inc., Habitus Design Group, United Neon, UnionBank, and Globe Telecom, which provides the connectivity powering the installation through its Globe at Home service.
Gylys acknowledged that the Portal may occasionally go offline, citing the challenge of operating complex software continuously. He said these interruptions reflect the human nature of the project, adding that the team behind Portals is small and driven by purpose rather than corporate scale.
The Manila installation is the latest addition to a project that traces its roots back nearly a decade. Gylys said the idea for Portals emerged after a spiritual awakening he experienced in 2016, when he became deeply affected by what he described as the growing division and hostility among people worldwide. He recalled feeling compelled to create something that would speak not to intellect, but to emotion and shared humanity.
Following that experience, Gylys committed himself to turning the concept into reality. It took five more years before the first Portals were launched in Vilnius and Lublin in 2021. Since then, the network has expanded steadily, reaching Europe, the United States, and now Southeast Asia.
While many public art installations are temporary, Gylys expressed hope that the Manila Portal will remain in place for the long term. He said his vision is for Portals to endure and continue connecting people across generations, adding that he hopes the Philippine installation will stand for a very long time.
