A Story of life, loss and memory
Where There’s Smoke, an immersive storytelling project by Lance Weiler that spans exhibitions, virtual experiences and live performances.
All families have secrets. Skeletons hidden in closets. Things left unsaid.
In Where There’s Smoke, project creator Lance Weiler unravels the secrets of his enigmatic father — a volunteer firefighter and amateur fire scene photographer — and two devastating fires that struck the Weiler family in the early 1980s. In the final months of his battle with colon cancer, his father invites Lance to interview him, and these conversations reignite 30 years of wondering… were those fires more than tragic accidents?
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.
ABOUT WHERE THERE’S SMOKE
Created by artist and storyteller Lance Weiler, the installation is an evocative exploration of his father—a volunteer firefighter and amateur fire scene photographer—and two mysterious fires that shaped the Weiler family in the early 1980s. In the final months of his father’s life, Weiler conducted a series of interviews, attempting to unravel decades-old questions: Were these fires merely tragic accidents, or was there something more?
At its core, Where There’s Smoke is both deeply personal and universally resonant, inviting audiences to navigate an unfolding enigma of family secrets, mortality, and the impermanence of memory. Using over 3,000 35mm slides captured by his father between 1968 and 1988—images of burning buildings, charred remnants, and smoldering landscapes—the installation weaves a fragmented yet intimate portrait of obsession and loss. These haunting remnants of fire serve as artifacts of destruction but also as portals into the past, where the audience plays an active role in piecing together the story.
Premiering at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, Where There’s Smoke has since evolved into a generative, multi-platform experience, incorporating elements of immersive theater, interactive documentary, and emergent technology. Recognized by Forbes as one of the ‘Top XR Installations of 2019’ and awarded a Digital Dozen: Breakthroughs in Storytelling Award, the project has been exhibited internationally, including a highly acclaimed installation at ArtYard (June–October 2023).
In this latest iteration as a public installation, audiences are invited to step into an environment where fire, memory, and technology converge. Visitors traverse a multi-room experience, moving through shifting layers of sound, photography, and personal artifacts, guided by immersive audio and interactive light elements. The installation unfolds in real-time, adapting to participants’ movements and interactions, creating a uniquely personal journey for each visitor.
At its heart, Where There’s Smoke is an exploration of narrative itself—an experiment in form that challenges the boundaries of immersive storytelling. Weiler, known for his pioneering work in participatory and emergent storytelling, describes the project as “a way for stories to spill off screens and into the real world, and then back again.” By embracing glitch aesthetics, rapid iteration, and the remixing of analog and digital elements, Weiler constructs a space where personal history collides with collective experience, transforming grief into an act of creation.
As this multidimensional story continues to evolve, Where There’s Smoke invites audiences to question what remains after the flames have dissipated—not just in the physical sense, but in the way we remember, reconstruct, and ultimately make sense of the past.
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.
Narrative Collages
Invisible in Blue (2024), Lance Weiler - browser-based lightbox, collage, gifs, javascript
Devil’s Tower in Black (2024), Lance Weiler - browser-based lightbox, collage, gifs, javascript
Devil’s Tower in Blue (2024), Lance Weiler - browser-based lightbox, collage, gifs, javascript
Dead Documents (2024), Lance Weiler - browser-based lightbox, collage, gifs, javascript
Dead Documents Detail #1 (2024), Lance Weiler - browser-based lightbox, collage, gifs, javascript
Camera is My Xray (2024), Lance Weiler - browser-based lightbox, collage, gifs, javascript
Camera is My Xray Detail #1 (2024), Lance Weiler - browser-based lightbox, collage, gifs, javascript