The story behind Living Markers

For years I walked downtown Columbus and along the Riverwalk, passing historic markers and wondering about the stories behind them.

One weekend I decided to find out whether I could build a process to bring those stories to life — walk up to a marker, take a photo with my phone, and have it gather the marker's text, research the history, find supporting sources, write a narrative, and turn it all into a short cinematic film about that place.

It turned out to be a surprisingly complex challenge. But after a lot of experimentation, the process finally worked — from a single photo all the way to a finished story.

What I like most is what it changed about walking around. Now, when I come across a marker that catches my attention, I can simply take a picture and produce the story behind it. What started as a technical experiment became a simple way to explore the history that's been sitting all around us the entire time.

I'll keep bringing markers to life whenever I pass one that makes me wonder, “What's the story behind that?”