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Times Square will be taking the phrase “Crossroads of the World” to heart this fall.
On October 10, a shipping container will set up shop in Broadway Plaza between 46th and 47th Streets, enclosing a life-sized live video chat that connects to dozens of cities across the world. Dubbed “The TimesSquare_Portal,” the project is produced by Shared_Studios and will run through November 21. During that stretch, attendees can chat with people (who will also be in similar shipping containers) in far-off locations like Kabul, Afghanistan; Gaza City, Palestine; and—er—Milwaukee. Those who are interested in chatting with a complete stranger on the other side of the planet can reserve spots online.
The installation is reminiscent of the phone booths that were installed in the same plaza over the summer, which allowed passersby to listen to personal stories of immigration from real New Yorkers who have lived them. The “portal” promises to be much more interactive, and is one of the coolest installations to come to the tourist hotspot in recent memory.