A Portal at Crissy Field
In case you haven’t visited Crissy Field lately, I suggest heading over not only to enjoy the beach and the view but also for a visit to other countries. Step into the gold painted shipping container located on the lawn near Crissy Field Center and say hello to another world, literally.
Experience a New Culture
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy teamed up with Shared Studios and the National Park Service to introduce the “Portal” project as part of the city’s Art in the Parks program. Other portal locations include Mexico, Iraq, India, and Afghanistan. The portals serve as interconnected environments that engage people from different parts of the world through a live projection. Inside the portal, you can talk, work, collaborate, debate, and play with folks who are hundreds or thousands of miles away. The portal at Crissy Field is powered by solar energy company Luminalt.
“When you enter a Portal, you come face-to-face, live, full-body, with someone in an identical gold shipping container somewhere else in the world,” Michelle Moghtader, co-founder of Shared_Studios. “Participants use Portals to have a personal connection with someone from another part of the world. They explore the culture and history of other places, talk with one another about their lives, exchange ideas, and collaboratively celebrate, create, perform, and play together.”
Details:
The San Francisco Portal is placed at the Crissy East Beach through September 24. It will be open to the public Thursday through Sunday. The Portal is staffed by a Portal Curator, and live language interpretation is also provided. Participation is free, but pre-registration is recommended. — Cassie Anderson