The Portals just got real. (Photo: Manny Inoa.)
The third portal in the 13 Portals, an interactive game conceived by artists Nicolina and Pérola Bonfanti that’s taking over the East Village one abandoned doorway at a time, was unveiled this Saturday in an elaborate ceremony on 10th Street between Avenues B and C.
Portal 3.
Game participants had received an e-mail with the password “The Dragon Spins the Wheel of Life.” When they uttered it to the colorfully-costumed Prophet (Walker Fee of the Free Art Society, the organization behind the 13 Portals), he told them to dance in a red spiral that was painted on the sidewalk in order to obtain one of 64 keys that unlocks the final portal at the end of the game.
“The participants were flung, one at a time, into the center of the spiral as the accordion and the drums began to play for their 30-second dance,” reports Nicolina. “After their dance they met with the Gatekeeper who gave them each one of the keys.”
The game uses tasks and riddles of an “escalating complexity” to teach participants various tidbits about mystical ancient history and guide them toward Portal 13, where apparently this very complicated process will all make sense. Next Saturday, Portal 4 will be unveiled at a still-secret location, and 8 more keys will be given out. If you want in, just offer up your email address to .
Wowza.