lance weiler

Storyteller/artist working in film, tv, games & code. Director @columbiaDSL. Releasing art (loops, glitches) via @culturehacker

[culturehacker @culturehacker]

Gm! Excited to share that the @ColumbiaDSL has a new site: see comments

Hard to believe it’s been 13 years since we started the lab. What began as a single new media course has grown into a mix of programs, events, and prototypes exploring where storytelling is headed.

That really came into focus Sunday when Frank Rose and I hosted the 11th edition of the Breakthroughs in Storytelling Awards. Congratulations to all the 2026 winners!

We’ve got a lot in motion right now. This fall, a new DSL prototype opens as a 10,000 sq ft installation at MAD Arts. We’re also building a Certificate in Digital Storytelling for both students and outside practitioners.

Our courses bring together undergraduate and graduate students from across the University, including classes we co-teach with Engineering and the Narrative Medicine program. And since 2015, we’ve been hosting monthly meetups at Lincoln Center.

The new site brings a lot of this together, including an archive of 132 projects experimenting with storytelling and emerging technology. It’s still evolving, just like the lab.

[ColumbiaDSL @ColumbiaDSL]

Join @ColumbiaDSL for our Spring Semester Student Showcase at Film at Lincoln Center on Monday, April 20. Come experience student work across storytelling, design, play, AI, AR, browser-based tools, and physical computing.

👇RSVP

[ColumbiaDSL @ColumbiaDSL]

Story I/O returns March 7th - space is limited RSVP early to secure your free spot.

A day of experimentation focused on story, play, design and art.

👇

[culturehacker @culturehacker]

Thank you @zardozclub for collecting and including my work in the show. @100collectors thanks for covering/documenting the show.

[culturehacker @culturehacker]

Proof the field is alive. This is the 8th year I’ve compiled this list. Each year we ask 150+ artists and curators what work moved them most. The result is a global mix of bold, boundary-pushing projects - shining a light on artists taking real risks. @ColumbiaDSL

👇

[culturehacker @culturehacker]

Gm! I did my final performance of Where There's Smoke @ryanleegallery's RLwindow overlooking the High Line. The 4 channel installation continues to run 24/7 until Dec. 20th. Special thanks to @ReginaHarsanyi for moderating the talk & to @nkumar23 for the photos.

See 🧵

[ColumbiaDSL @ColumbiaDSL]

Step into a live experiment where the boundaries between human and machine start to dissolve.

Developed by students and collaborators at the Columbia Digital Storytelling Lab, this live test invites you to enter a world of glitches, doppelgängers, and shifting realities.

See 🧵

[Regina Harsanyi @ReginaHarsanyi]

Excited to be in conversation with @culturehacker about his ongoing work Where There’s Smoke, Nov 5th at RYAN LEE. His art has touched many, even influencing the field of narrative medicine.

Performance 4:30–6:30PM
Talk at 7PM
Dinner at 8PM

RSVP link on request!

[FITC @FITC]

At FITC TO25 Join Lance Weiler for a dynamic talk on how narrative thinking + generative systems unlock collaboration & transformative ideas.
🔗 Explore his work! https://t.co/zUxt5ZJUXh
https://t.co/MueVIuxlUm

🔥 Super Early-Bird ends Mar 2 → https://t.co/FGBAyAUrQk
#FITCTO

[ColumbiaDSL @ColumbiaDSL]

Join us for a special edition of Test/Break this Mon., May 20th. @leekimnyc & @autumnlind will be prototyping Imaginary Museums & Immersive Dreams. For more details & to RSVP see

https://t.co/5gxRzfJyue

image by AUTUMNLIN

[ColumbiaDSL @ColumbiaDSL]

Columbia DSL’s Breakthroughs in Storytelling, an annual celebration of new forms and functions of storytelling, returns this month with three special events.

To learn more and RSVP please visit
https://t.co/vESsHF12Sz

[culturehacker @culturehacker]

APRIL 2nd - ​“Decentralized Futures" offers an intriguing exploration into how emerging technologies intersect with the arts.

🔥 RSVP https://t.co/jzM1SetaJA

Talks by @ZacharyHSmall (NYTs, author) @ReginaHarsanyi (MoMI) & @La_Raina_Marie (PACE)

Live performance & talk by @theVERSEverse, @pgervois @artpoet2 @speciesofvalue @sashastiles

I'll be doing a special live performance of Where There's Smoke + minting some generative storytelling art in collab w/ @itslordof & @CodeCanvas_Art 🔥https://t.co/FOz9vZmHJg

Plus a special taping of "One Artist - One Artwork" with
@Daniel__Curtis & @adhd143

[lance weiler @LanceWeiler]

Excited to share this year's Immersive Things list. It's a wonderfully eclectic collection of immersive works that mix storytelling, performance, play, design and code.

https://t.co/kzT0xf5Nyn

[lance weiler @LanceWeiler]

HELP NEEDED: I'm pulling together an end of year list & will compile & share all the results.

What are some interesting digital storytelling / immersive works from 2023? Can be any form. What moved you? What stood out? What's a must see/experience?

#ai #ar #vr #iot

[culturehacker @culturehacker]

Preparing for the live show of "Where There's Smoke" next week @pam_cut @PDXArtMuseum.

The show is a mix of storytelling, generative art & cinema.

Show details - https://t.co/chnNryZud3

[culturehacker @culturehacker]

Testing for an upcoming live show of Where There’s Smoke @pam_cut // Center for an Untold Tomorrow. Which is part of the Portland Art Museum.

The show is Nov 16th - https://t.co/aSEZpm0tNR

[culturehacker @culturehacker]

Gm! Thanks @fakewhale_xyz for the amazing piece on Where There’s Smoke! A live show of WTS tours this fall/winter. And the exhibition will return in 2024!

https://t.co/gh1d1O0B0y

@scenespaces @dam_zine

[PAM CUT // Center for an Untold Tomorrow @pam_cut]

WHERE THERE’S SMOKE mixes live documentary, immersive theater, & elements of an escape room. Join @LanceWeiler for an immersive storytelling experience about life, loss, and memory.

November 16, 6 p.m.
Tomorrow Theater tickets → https://t.co/69EkL3bOvM

[culturehacker @culturehacker]

Where There's Smoke run at ArtYard is coming to an end. The engagement concludes with a special immersive talk/performance on September 30th at 7:30pm. All proceeds from ticket sales go to supporting ArtYard's mission. See links & details below.

After ArtYard Where There's Smoke will be touring. Full details coming soon.

Since June over 2,300 people have experienced WTS at ArtYard. That's almost 1,200 hours of time spent within the immersive exhibition.

Photo courtesy of Courtesy of ArtYard / Miana Jun

What people are saying
"Where There’s Smoke is a stunningly personal exhibit that continues to resonate with audiences. The act of sorting through a mountain of ephemera, tracing his footsteps as he cleans out his father’s belongings after his passing, and reevaluates their complex relationship....For anyone who’s suffered the slow loss of a parent, or struggled to truly know them as evidence of who they were fades into the mists of time, there’s a lot to relate to. The photography is beautiful, and a few of the new tactile elements were highly resonant." - No Proscenium

"This troubling, rewarding, emotionally exhausting project draws the gallery-goer into a blaze-threatened home, bit by bit, shot by shot, and flame by beckoning flame. It transcends the limitations and clichés of the interactive installation through the depth of Weiler’s pocket-sized world and the uncommon crispness of his execution. It is also enlivened by Robert Weiler, its strange and magnetic protagonist, whose fascination with fire provides the exhibition its moments of flickering illumination and its many burning questions." - NJ Arts

The exhibition is free and is open during ArtYard's regular hours
https://t.co/RPwm9YUmvg

Link to details on the talk - all proceeds from ticket sales go to ArtYard
https://t.co/jBJ51mrtDe

[Peabody Awards @PeabodyAwards]

Submissions for Interactive Media are NOW OPEN!🚀

We know #StoriesThatMatter are being told in games, XR, interactive journalism, social video, & beyond. Submit your projects for the distinguished opportunity of being honored as a 'Peabody Winner.' 🏆

➡️ https://t.co/2066clPpwY