STORYHACKERS
a Pop up lab to explore hybrid storytelling
Everything can be a platform for storytelling. We live in a world of narrative surfaces waiting to be discovered.
StoryHackers is more than a concept—it's a movement, an expansive narrative lab, an active cell, and a nomadic experience existing simultaneously in everyone and nowhere. It emerged from a world experiencing systemic failure, with its initial vision aimed at steering a shift in convergence narratives. At StoryHackers, our commitment lies in deciphering the essence of bit-storytelling.
The laboratory serves as a pop-up educational space where the realms of stories and technology converge. Here, we engage in research, creation, and distribution of stories under novel processes of construction, production, and circulation within the vast digital transmedia universe. StoryHackers is not just a venture; it's an exploration of the intersection between storytelling and technology, shaping the future of narrative in our dynamic, ever-evolving world.
StoryHackers Codex
The StoryHackers Codex is a collection of reflections, the foundation of a manifesto on digital and transmedia storytelling, outlining our roles as Culture Hackers. This collaborative initiative took root in Ottawa, Algonquin territory, during the Cultural Summit of the Americas in Canada in May 2018. Here's a glimpse into the codex, a snippet that drifts within our digital-generative-portable auroras, radiating with collaborative ideas and glitches from the North.
LAB FORMATS
PLUGIN
A session that does not interrupt the current flow of a hackathon but adds an specific feature or functionality to an existing program. StoryHackers plugin sessions enhance the functionality of the host application, whether it’s an event, a film festival or hackathon, adding storytelling aspects to the ongoing program.
SESSIONS
The session cover different topics regarding spatial storytelling from inception to pitching and could be as hands-on as needed. If they function as workshops, they are designed to understand, prototype and create spatial stories across different mediums and with a variety of interaction.
ISLAND
The Island format represents our most immersive type of session. It spans from four days to a week, dedicated to a comprehensive creation session with the goal of producing a functional prototype for a story-driven piece. Guided by the unique principles of the StoryHackers methodology, each Island session is led by its own dedicated storytelling in a collaborative journey.
STORYHACKING 101
WORLDBUILDING
Speculative Narrative Design sessions, where the focus is on constructing possible, plural, and diverse futures. These experience prototyping hackathons encompass world-building for traditional fiction, hybrid media, and virtual reality. As showcased at SXSW, SXSW EDU, ONA, UBA.
STORYTELLING XR
Workshops designed to understand, prototype and create spatial stories for the whole spectrum of extended realities: AR, VR, MR. Narrative design for Virtual Reality, Paper, web and model Prototyping. Storytelling in time and space specially tailored for Documentaries, Journalism, Fiction 360, 6DoF VR or Interactive animation.
BIT STORYTELLING
Sessions meticulously designed for the creation of transmedia worlds, interactive, and expanded experiences. Our narrative design expertise seamlessly extends across audiovisual, digital, social media, and educational realms. Engage with the intricacies of story-driven design through a program curated specifically for users. Now accessible remotely.
SPECULATIVE FUTURES AND AI
A speculative journey through the lens of AI and future design, characterized by its focus on the fusion of creative speculation and worldbuilding using the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence as tools to envision future possibilities.
Available for general audiences and educators.
MYTHS AND MACHINES
The session takes you on a profound exploration, starting with the recreation of an origin story, the invention of a mythological machine, or the creation or recreation of a new heroic figure. Using sophisticated worldbuilding techniques, attendees will experience firsthand the power of storytelling and myth to shape our collective consciousness. They will gain a deeper understanding of the interplay between tradition and technology, exploring how innovative approaches can enhance the storytelling experience.
PALE GREEN PIXEL
Our signature online program to explore and refine your own storytelling in a group setting. Virtual sessions, weekly assignments, a discord community and one on one meetups.
The PALE PIXEL opens once a year and has a Spanish and English version.
The StoryHackers Codex began its development in 2012 with a talk called HackCinema, held at Hacks Hackers Buenos Aires—an event uniting research, journalism, storytelling, and open data. Back in 2012, the term "Hacker" wasn't as overused as it is today; it referred to individuals curious about unraveling the workings of things, committed to pushing the boundaries in their crafts. Throughout its evolution, StoryHackers navigated a punk phase, a more educational (EDU) orientation, less emphasis on tech, and a distinctive "se habla español" (Spanish-speaking) moment. However, the true turning point occurred after our immersion in the Rogue Film School of Werner Herzog—our spiritual lighthouse.
“No, we shouldn’t be the fly on the wall, we should not be the bank’s security camera. We need to be the hornet that stings”
Explore the StoryHackers origin story
Around the world
StoryHackers has provided workshops, conferences and immersive experiences to students, professionals and teachers at the following events, institutions, festivals and associations, highlighting our presentation at Berlinale, MIT, SXSW, SXSW EDU. MUTEK and The Cultural Summit of the Americas in Canada among others. StoryHackers was a finalist Samsung Innova 2018 and is supported by OEI — Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture.
2023 MIT Reality Hack Judge
2020/ 2022/ 2023/ 2024 Berlinale Talents Short Form Station Mentor
StoryHackers CITEP UBA. 2024
StoryHackers AI CITEP. UBA. 2024
2023 MIT Reality Hack Mentor and Mentor
2022 EICTV Cuba
2022 CITEP. LAB AI
2021 Tech Camp Chile
2019 Online News Association US Conference
2019 SXSW-SXSW EDU, Austin, US
2019 US. Dephtkit Residency, NYC, US
TechCamp Buenos Aires, Argentina
H20 Arts +Science, Bariloche, Argentina
Congreso Quirino de Animación, Tenerife, España
MIT Open Documentary Lab, Cambridge, US
Mutek Montreal, Canada
America’s Cultural Summit, Ottawa, Canada
FIPA, Biarritz, Francia
Jihlava Emerging Producers, Czech Republic
Weight of the Mountains, Skagaströnd, Islandia
Power to The Pixel, Londres, Inglaterra Pixel Lab, Inverness, Escocia.
EICTV, San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba
MINTIC Colombia
SXSW, Nyon Film Festival, DocLab Switzerland. CUNY NYC, DocSp, Bug Lab, VR Fest, Tlanchana, MICSUR Bogotá, Colombia. Intravenosa, Cali, Transmedia Next, Universidad Veritas, Costa Rica. Berlinale Talents, TLSM, La Paz, Talent Doc Bolivia. ICAU Montevideo, Fundación Telefónica Uruguay. Fundación Telefónica Buenos Aires, TEDx Paseo del Bosque, La Plata, Argentina. Semana de la Industria, Montevideo, Uruguay. Bafici, Buenos Aires, Argentina. MDQ Fest, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Media Lab Prado, Madrid, Spain. Festival Internacional de Cine de Montaña, Ushuaia, Argentina. UNDTF, Ushuaia, Argentina
Codex (s)
Template and Spatial Creation Guide for Virtual Reality #storyhackers
Reality Hack Presentation
StoryHackers collaborative Codex
Are you missing any downloadable form that you would like to have? Would you like to collaborate with an idea for the Codex? Write us.