The Real Times

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Long gone are the days where the latest information can be found within the pages of a newspaper. Permanently printed each day, the daily news we read with ink stained fingertips can do nothing but highlight the eve’s accomplishments. Using a mashup of trending online tools, The Real Times is an artistic installation able to tap into each moment’s most popular headline.

Collecting the hottest and most talked about topics from Google Trends, this news box populates its front page with what the Internet community is discussing in the public spheres. Each term is contextualised through Freebase’s digital library. Using Yahoo News to gather relevant articles, text is brought forth explaining each topic. Most prominent above the fold is a video uploaded to YouTube moments before the break of a story.

The Real Times is an innovation in dynamic information dissemination. Automatically sourcing data from online bodies of information generators, including Twitter, Youtube and the press. This digital newspaper frames content in a familiar architecture of a newspaper stand. Peering through the Plexiglas window, onlookers are fascinated by the pace and accuracy of content being harvested.

Collaborative project with : Charles-Antoine Dupont, Gregoire Jololian and Piotr Wielopolski

Download Artist Statement [PDF]