Where There’s Smoke in 2025

 

1. Narrative Collaging Performances
2. Physical/Digital Pieces  
3. Generative Collages
4. Fire Photography    

ARTISTIC PRACTICE 

My artistic practice centers on narrative collaging, a process of weaving together fragments—images, text, sound, and objects—into layered, multidimensional stories. I am drawn to the interplay between dissonance and cohesion, where meaning emerges not from a linear structure but from the tension and dialogue between disparate elements.

This approach allows me to blur boundaries across disciplines, drawing inspiration from the visual immediacy of collage, the nonlinear experimentation of prose, and the immersive possibilities of digital media. By embracing fragmentation, I aim to challenge traditional storytelling forms and create spaces where narratives unfold in unexpected ways. My work explores themes of memory, identity, and connection, using the collision of parts to evoke resonance and reflection. Through narrative collaging, I seek to transform the overlooked and the fragmented into something deeply evocative and whole.

Images from live collaging performance at ArtYard (2023)

ABOUT WTS 

Where There’s Smoke explores themes of life, loss, and memory through a powerful blend of exhibitions, virtual experiences, and live performances. Featuring photography by my father, Robert Weiler (1939–2018), this deeply personal project began when I uncovered a hidden archive of over 60,000 35mm slides following his death.

In Where There’s Smoke, I unravel the mysteries of my enigmatic father—a volunteer firefighter and amateur fire scene photographer—and two devastating fires that struck our family in the 1980s. In the final months of his battle with colon cancer, my father invited me to record our conversations, reigniting 30 years of questions: Were those fires more than tragic accidents?

As I confront the secrets of the past, we simultaneously face the heartbreak of the present. The lack of empathy in my father’s care inspires a deeper purpose, giving rise to Where There’s Smoke—a profound exploration of universal themes such as memory, resilience, and healing.

DIGITAL COLLAGES

Dead Documents (2024), Lance Weiler - COLLAGE: 35mm slides, gifs, browser-based lightbox, javascript 65”x32”

Camera is My Xray (2024), Lance Weiler - COLLAGE: 35mm slides, gifs, browser-based lightbox, javascript 65”x 32”

GENERATIVE SOUND COLLAGES 

For the 3,000sq ft exhibition of Where There’s Smoke at ArtYard, a geo-fence was built around the gallery space and each guest wore a pair of headphones and carried a flashlight containing a mirco controller. The Real Time Location System (RTLS) that we built was able to capture pathway, density, time spent and story elements triggered. This data is being utlilzed to create the GENERATIVE SMOKE COLLAGE series detailed below. 

GENERATIVE SMOKE COLLAGES

Generative Smoke (2024 - present) an ongoing series of pieces made from guest exhibition data (pathway, density, time spent, stoies unlocked), 35mm fire slides and glitch-based art. To read more about how the the generative series is made click here.

Robert Weiler (1939 - 2018) served as a volunteer firefighter and pursued his passion as an amateur fire scene photographer. Following his passing, a hidden collection of over 60,000 35mm slides was discovered. Truly an outsider artist, Robert Weiler's photography is now being exhibited and appreciated for the first time in a touring version of Where There’s Smoke. 

A collaborative storytelling experience for upwards of 100 participants. Zoom, Miro, SSM + Javascript (2020-present)

A look behind the scenes of the WTS Virtual Shows 

TOURING IN 2025

In 2025, I’ll be staging a number of live collaging performances. I’m actively looking for museums, galleries, festivals, and art institutions to host a performance. If you’d be interested in collaborating please drop me a line.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Lance Weiler is an artist working across film, theatre, games, and code. An alumnus of the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, he is recognized as a pioneer for his innovative approach to blending storytelling, art, and technology. For over 20 years, he has been at the forefront of entertainment, helping to lead the industry into the digital age. He is a Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University, where he founded the school’s Digital Storytelling Lab.

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