He attended St. Bernard’s School, then studied painting and drawing at Deerfield Academy, computer science at Princeton University, interaction design at Fabrica, and shamanic philosophy with The Power Path.
His work with data visualization (2002–2015) helped to establish that burgeoning field by rejoicing in the beauty of the newly social Internet through pioneering digital projects like We Feel Fine, Wordcount, 10x10, Yahoo Time Capsule, I Want You To Want Me, and Network Effect.
His work with interactive storytelling (2007–2018) combined the sensibilities of the digital and physical worlds by using algorithmic rule sets to govern data collection in real-life situations. These ritualistic experiments included The Whale Hunt, I Love Your Work, Balloons of Bhutan, and Today. The latter evolved into Cowbird, a storytelling platform open to all, which ended up amassing 100,000 stories from 25,000 authors in 200 countries — until the growing trend of Internet addiction prompted its closure in 2017. He explored these dynamics in the personal essays World Building in a Crazy World, Modern Medicine, Data Will Help Us, and Navigating Stuckness.
His work with alchemical ritual (2015–2022) was rooted at High Acres Farm, his ancestral home and land in Vermont. He spent seven years transforming old family patterns there, exploring what he came to call Life Art through a series of 21 DIY rituals and matching films — ultimately released in 2022 as the autobiographical opus In Fragments. The spiritual origins of this work are outlined in the visual essays Powers of Ten and Working with Life.
His current focus on wisdom work (2024–) uses the container of Sunlight — an evolving practice of teaching and learning through art.
He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Shelburne, Vermont, where he serves as a steward of High Acres Farm and the evolving Linestone Collective.
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