New York and Dublin eye to eye

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Trinity College (left) and DUMBO alongside the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn as it would appear on the planned Trinity screen.

By Evan Short
letters@irishecho.com

A bid to link New York to Dublin 24 hours a day seven days a week via a real time video link to be installed in both cities could be available as soon as November, this if Irish architect Cathal Curtin has his way.

Curtin is currently seeking funding via a kickstarter campaign for his “Twin Space” project and raised an initial €7,251 in just six days.

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The idea behind the screens is to allow people separated by the Atlantic Ocean to see each other in real time on a full size screen where they will be able to communicate and interact in a way that other telecommunication devices cannot achieve.

Curtin, who has won awards for his designs in the past, says he has already had agreement for the screens to be installed beside the Manhattan Bridge at its Brooklyn end and Trinity College in Dublin.

“We are going to build one in New York and one in Dublin, and when you walk up to the one in Dublin, and if somebody else walks up to the one in New York, you’ll be able to talk to each other,” explained Curtin.

“It’s going to be full scale (with) eye contact (and) live audio.

“They are always going to be on, 24/7, so you can see the sun going down in Trinity College in Dublin, and some days you’ll see it snowing in New York.

“It’ll be all set up for incidental meetings. If you are in New York on Saturday morning and you want to grab a coffee with someone in the afternoon in Dublin you can do it. You just have to text them so it’s really playing on the incidental things.”

The screens will be three meters by one meter and the designers hope that once installed, passers-by in both cities will stop to communicate with people they don’t know on the other side.

The project is being supported by the New York City Department of Transportation, DUMBO BID, and Trinity College, Dublin.

For more information visit www.kickstarter.com and search for “Twin Space.”

 

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