Prototypes
Prototypes are at the heart of Columbia DSL. They are how we learn by making — turning ideas into tangible experiments that can be tested, shared, and refined in public. Rather than seeing prototypes as unfinished drafts, we treat them as a creative and research practice in their own right: a way to explore new forms and functions of storytelling through participation, design, and emerging technologies.
How We
Prototype
DSL prototypes are built in the open — tested at events like Test/Break, Story I/O, and public showcases before they are finished. We believe the act of making visible work-in-progress accelerates learning, invites unexpected collaboration, and keeps creative risk-taking at the center of the process.
Prototypes emerge from coursework, faculty research, and community residencies. They draw on a range of practices: game design, immersive theatre, generative AI, AR/VR, physical computing, and participatory design. What unites them is a commitment to story as the organizing principle.
Test/Break
View EventsTest/Break is DSL's monthly prototyping series — a public forum for creatives exploring new forms and functions of storytelling with emerging technology. Each session invites work-in-progress to be tested, broken, and rebuilt in front of an engaged audience.
See Upcoming Events ↗