The Portal

“The world has never truly had to develop an ethic of interdependence rooted in our common humanity. And if we do it, the 21st century will be the most interesting, exciting, peaceful era in history.” – W. J. Clinton

“In all the arts, there is a physical component which can no longer be considered or treated as it used to be, which cannot remain unaffected by our modern knowledge and power. For the last twenty years neither matter nor space nor time has been what it was from time immemorial. We must expect great innovations to transform the entire technique of the arts, thereby affecting artistic invention itself and perhaps even bringing about an amazing change in our very notion of art.” -Paul Valery

The Portal brings together individuals from around the world into familiar time and space. It builds new bridges and perspectives for how we see the world around us. It is a window for us to look through, out beyond the limits of its own technology, and it will surely lead us there.*

This installation is an artwork in and of itself, but the natural surroundings and those viewing it or passing by become an integral part of the piece as well. Simply and magically it brings the viewer into intimate contact with another culture and urban setting from around the globe, acting as a literal portal into an unfamiliar world.

As you look through The Portal into this other place, you find to your surprise, that the individuals you see, are seeing you – causing you to wonder: “Which of us is the art and which is the viewer?” Eventually you come to realize that you are in a synergistic loop where you are both participating in the art and the viewing. It is a piece of living art that is experienced both individually and communally, locally, and globally.

After this realization you come to discover that not only can you see others but you can even hear them and speak to them as well. This experience and interaction leads to a renewed sense of perception, bringing about the elusive awareness of the unique individuality and yet profound similarity we share with all peoples near and far.

The Portal doesn’t stop at enabling you to partake in experiential connection with other cities and cultures, it also brings us into close contact with the beautiful wilderness/wildlife areas outside those cities. We get to intimately see and hear the vibrant sights and sounds of nature up close as they are actually happening live, right at that very time, in that very space, but ported to our space. Whether watching playful monkeys leaping through a bamboo forest, an Amazon jungle teeming with exotic creatures, the northern lights glowing vibrantly overhead, or the Great Barrier Reef colorfully flashing and flittering with otherworldly life; each particular environment fills the viewer with wonder and awe at the serene and bustling complexity of these unscathed regions. Part of the fun is never knowing what will happen next. One moment you could be stilled by watching a calm and quiet landscape before a storm and the next awakened by a stampede of elephants.

We can be inspired by the earnestness and playfulness with which nature fills her daily routine, while observing the unique way the local culture is affected by the wilderness and how the wilderness is in turn affected by the culture. The Portal’s juxtaposition of city alongside city alongside its respective wilderness creates a radical ecological, geographical, and spatial paradigm shift which soberly reminds us of the interdependence we share with one another and in turn with the wild spaces around us for both physical and spiritual survival.

The Cube Portal and the Wall Portal as seen below, each accomplish this unusual phenomena. The Cube Portal does so by surrounding you on all 6 sides, completely and immersively transporting you to another world, transitioning smoothly between the city and wilderness at different times of the day. The Wall Portal does so a little differently. It’s double-sided, so on one side you can walk up and connect with another city while the opposite side allows young and old alike to relax on benches or blankets and take in whatever surprises the wilderness might have to offer. Throughout the day these visions will change as The Portal links up with another city or wilderness around the world, enabling you to always see something new each time you visit.

AE is looking to work together with non-profits, environmental organizations and corporations to find creative ways to staff each Portal location with representatives that can help visitors understand more about the cultures, cities, and wilderness they are connecting with. We are also looking to work alongside these organizations to help The Portal not only function as an apparatus that ports people to other worlds virtually, but to also do so physically. We want to help underprivileged individuals that visit The Portal who might perhaps see a vision of a world they never knew existed or never thought they could possibly visit, to do just that. We want to help them see in real life the visions they beheld in The Portal by finding organizations that can help send them with a team of other volunteers to work and serve in another culture and/or wilderness area. This will not only change their life and the lives of their loved ones forever but it will affect real communities and bring about real dynamic growth and change to the cities and the wilderness for years to come.

AE is in the midst of working towards bringing this unique installation into existence around the world. If you have any interest in helping us do so, or have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us below.

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(*Both of these versions of The Portal have many other artistic applications beyond those described here, some of which we have been working towards since 1996. It is our firm belief that structures like these will be used in cities worldwide for many different public and private events and that larger versions of The Cube in particular will essentially become the auditoriums of the future. They will host everything from the new cinema, to live theater, symphonies, and rock concerts in ways never before imagined, not to mention new art forms yet to be created that will be inspired by the unique freedoms made available in these spaces. If the develop of these ideas interests you please contact us.)