Act The Thought - a ameaça da desinformação

ACT THE THOUGHT – The Threat of Disinformation

At the renovated Monastery of Leça do Balio, the Livraria Lello Foundation presented, until September 2025, the exhibition “Act The Thought – the threat of disinformation”, co-curated with the UNESCO MIL Alliance and the newspaper Polígrafo.

“Act The Thought” was the Livraria Lello Foundation’s response to the growing concern over the spread and dissemination of disinformation. The exhibition addressed the complexity of truth and highlighted the importance of information literacy.

Voices Against Disinformation

For decades, courageous voices have faced the most adverse conditions in the fight against disinformation, at times becoming the voice of an entire group or nation under constant oppression, as in the case of Ai Weiwei, Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie, José Saramago, and Yeonmi Park. This exhibition highlights 20 globally renowned figures who fought for freedom of expression, enduring severe consequences in their lives, and whose legacy remains relevant to this day.

UNESCO MIL ALLIANCE

The UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Alliance is a global network dedicated to promoting international collaboration, driving the development and impact of media and information literacy worldwide. Marking the beginning of a collaboration between the Livraria Lello Foundation and the UNESCO MIL Alliance, this exhibition — aligned with the Alliance’s objectives — stands as a united voice against the growing disinformation crisis, engaging the local community in addressing the challenges posed by false information.

POLÍGRAFO

Challenged by the Livraria Lello Foundation, Polígrafo newspaper curated a selection from among the thousands of fake news stories that, through images, illustrate the harmful effects of disinformation and counter-information. The overwhelming scale of fake news makes tools such as Polígrafo’s fact-checking work essential for contemporary society.

ALEA

The exhibition featured a multichannel sound installation developed by Diana Policarpo. Activated by eight voices transmitted through headsets arranged in two semicircles, the installation invited visitors to explore a variety of sound sources and discover unique voices at each point in the room. Entitled ALEA and inspired by traditional songs from northern Portugal, the installation deconstructed words and melodies to create new meanings.

INSIDE OUT in Porto – The World’s Largest Participatory Art Project

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The exhibition also included the living memory of the Inside Out Project, created by French artist JR.
The Inside Out Project came to Porto in June 2024, at the invitation of the Livraria Lello Foundation. This global initiative, which uses large-scale portraits to give voice to issues such as diversity, human rights, and sustainability, had already involved more than 500,000 people in 152 countries.

The famous Inside Out photobooth was on the streets of Porto gathering testimonies from those who put a face to the truth, allowing Porto’s residents to be part of this global artistic movement.

The project was also present at the inauguration of the Livraria Lello Foundation, where around 1,500 large-scale portraits transformed the Monastery of Leça do Balio, creating one of the largest examples of participatory art in Portugal.

The exhibition, designed by Studio Eduardo Aires, was awarded GOLD at the prestigious European Design Festival, held in 2025 in the vibrant city of Ljubljana, Slovenia. This recognition celebrated the entire exhibition project — from the curatorial concept to the scenography, the accessibility of the content, and community engagement — and reinforced the role of the Livraria Lello Foundation as an agent of cultural and social transformation, with roots in the Northern Region and a European projection.

If you are interested in hosting this exhibition, please contact us.