Blockchain Fairy Tales
Columbia University School of the Arts’ Digital Storytelling Lab presents Blockchain Fairy Tales (BFT), a collaborative world-building workshop. Those formerly known as the audience will become architects of the future as we explore playful worlds, contend with magical threats, and face the question: What if happily ever after is not guaranteed?
BFT is an-going experience made in collaboration with the Columbia University School of the Arts’ Digital Storytelling Lab (DSL) and was made by many including Lance Weiler, Nick Fortugno, Romy Nehme Jörgen van der Sloot, Takaaki Okada, Shar Simpson, Stephen Smith, Tanya Vlach, Olivia Powell, Aaron Santiago, Patrick Bender and Reiner Clabbers.
In 2023, Blockchain Fairy Tales was invited to be a part of the New Haven Arts & Ideas Fest.
Olivia Powell and Shar Simpson co-lead two immersive World-building workshops. These workshops combined simple creative tools like visualization exercises and play-doh to generate new myths. Participants collectively sourced wishes and crises for the futures and built creatures that represented guardians for the next generation. At the close of the workshop, an intergenerational group of participants co-created a new fairy tale based on their collective wishes for the futures. Using Chat GPT and generated visuals from Midjourney, these stories came alive in the classroom. Creating a story that continues to expand with each new iteration.
Olivia Powell and Shar Simpson introducing BFT.
Shar assisting participants as they ask each other about their wishes for the futures.
Participants co-creating wishes at the Arts & Ideas Fest
Participants discussing future crises.
Past-BFT collaborators added their collages to the in-person workshop. With each iteration of BFT, the worlds and ideas grow
Blockchain Fairy Tales premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in 2022.
One of the guardian creatures created at the Arts & Ideas Fest.
Images from Miro board used to present BFT.
Olivia and Shar counting to a new exercise.
A participant peeking into the ocean portal.
The virtual Ocean Portal used to collect wishes.
What’s happening with this project?
Status: Currently in production.
Premiere Status:
Arts + Ideas Festival, presented as an in-person workshop, 2023
Columbia DSL’s Story I/O, presented as a virtual workshop, 2023
Unfinished LIVE! At the SHED, presented as an in-person workshop, 2022
The Chicago Underground Film Festival, presented as an in-person workshop, 2022
Mozilla Fest, premiered at the renowned AI festival, 2022
Slamdance Film Festival, premiered at the celebrated film festival, 2022
Sitges Festival, premiered internationally as an in-person workshop, 2021
Type of Project:
Collective Storytelling + Artificial Intelligence Powered + Fairytales
My Roles:
Narrative Designer, Producer, and presenter.