Tempo real (Real time) is an installation conceived and prepared by 8th grade students from Escola Básica Integrada de Sto. Onofre, Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, within the framework of Project Area subject and it was concluded throughout the months of September, 2007 and February, 2008.

The main purpose behind “tempo real” is to develop among students with 13 to 15 years of age a functional critical ability to detect the biased language often used in the media to promote alarm, distress, unease and apprehension. Identifying the vocabulary of fear is a valuable tool for readers of all ages in order to know exactly what are the language resources used by the newsmakers to, simply, sell a commercial product such as the news. Demonstrating that news do not necessarily provide neutral or balanced reports of reality, stands as a crucial approach to promote among children conscious, constructive citizenship.

This exhibition comprises a strong artistic, physical component, but it aims a thorough use of new technologies, through the preservation of this work in digital, online platforms. The digital perpetuation and safeguarding of the school work comprehends an improved reverence for the pupils’ effort and enables an extensive contact within the educational community. 

This project aims to underline how indispensable a critical point of view really is, nowadays, to calmly discern the many human tragedies that we all get acquainted with by the media. The uncontainable taste for the macabre in the media depicts a time that is just not real. The time of the media is an unreal time. A time made out of fear, outrage and alarm. If all reality was this dark, this bloodthirsty, why would life be worth living for? What would be the place for hope? Why would solidarity be even needed?

In order to achieve these simple goals, the classes were asked to read out loud the news they considered to be endorsing violent, alarming, hard-line language most of it useless to better be acquainted with the true facts of the stories. The class discusses the alternative words which could be chosen in order to better clarify the information.

Every sentence and words considered excessive and biased was cut and glued in forty 40x40 centimetres canvas. These canvases were meant to build an artistic installation which could convey the idea of repetition; the same exhausting repetition that we are influenced by as news readers.

The students were directly involved in all aspects of this exhibition. The six thousand newspaper clips shown in it, the design aspects and the digital version of this exhibition, were all a direct consequence of the students work. 

Several teachers, many parents and school staff gave a hand. We enthusiastically thank their generosity. Companionship and friendship like this is not usually seen or read in the news papers. This is what living in real time is all about. 

This venture is supported by Her Excellency the Director of the Escola Superior de Arte e Design, the Executive Council of Escola Básica Integrada de Sto. Onofre and the benevolence of Dr. Paulo Sousa, Dra. Cecília Pimenta, Dra. Isabel Silva, Dra. Dulce Nunes and Mr. João Magalhães.

This project was awarded by the jury of DGIDC-CRIE (Ministry of Education) to represent Portugal in the International Conference ‘Promoting Innovation and Creativity – Schools’ Response to the Challenges of Future Societies’, held by the Slovenian Presidency of the European Union.