Welcome to Creative Machines (formerly known as Culture Hacker). I’ve decided to reboot the newsletter that ran from 2015 to last fall. I took a break as we were preparing to open The Raven, an immersive theatre piece that invited guests to explore an early 19th Century Mansion while wearing AR glasses and carrying an IoT enchanted lantern to guide their way.

Creative Machines is a curated link site and newsletter that centers on emergent tech and its impact on humanity. It’s related to the research that I’m doing as Director of the Columbia University School of the Arts’ Digital Storytelling Lab (aka Columbia DSL).

You’re receiving this email because at some point in the past you signed up for the Culture Hacker newsletter.

“Water has happened, and there goes the world. I don’t want to say too much because it’s one of those rare games whose shape I couldn’t predict, where I didn’t my know goals let alone what I might see or do, and would like to leave you the same surprise.

It’s a pleasant place to explore, and each run seems to throw different bits at me in a different order. I have yet to figure out the significance of several aspects, or whether they even have any. I’m not the only one, judging by some of the messages I’ve found drifting in bottles.” — Rock Paper Shotgun

Later this year, I’ll be mounting a photo exhibition meets immersive installation focused on existential threats. I’m returning to my roots as I started out wanting to be a photographer but a love of film pulled me away. So far the project has been amazing in the sense that its slowing me down. I find myself observing things in ways that I haven’t in quite sometime. Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing more details about how I’m approaching the work and what I’m learning in the process.

For those interested in exploring new forms and functions of storytelling make sure to checkout Columbia DSL‘s monthly meetup and our global prototyping community.