Ipswich Borough Council submits plans to install digital portal, connecting two locations, on the Cornhill
A new ‘portal’ could connect the people of Ipswich with others across the world.
Ipswich Borough Council has lodged plans to place a digital sculpture in the Cornhill, in front of the archway leading to Lloyds Avenue.
The authority hoped it would act as a ‘digital window’ between locations, in the vein of the famous Dublin-New York portal, set up by Lithuanian artist Benediktas Gylys, from last year.
It allowed both locations to connect to each other via 24-hour live streams.
Other portals have also been set up in Vilnius, Lithuania; Lublin, Poland and Philadelphia, US, among others.
In planning documents, the borough council said the portal could act as a ‘powerful cultural and symbolic identity’ for Ipswich while contributing to civic and tourist engagement.
It is currently not stated where the portal would connect to.
The Dublin-New York portal was briefly shut down in May last year due to inappropriate behaviour. It closed permanently in September.
The borough council chose the Cornhill to ‘capture an optimal field of view, showcasing Ipswich Town Hall and the former Post Office building, now occupied by The Botanist restaurant’.
“These two listed buildings represent both Ipswich’s heritage and its evolving vibrancy,” it said.
It also hoped it would be a focal point for locals and tourists while acting as a prominent landmark in its own right.