West Coast Cultural Lab

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West Coast Cultural Lab creativity is a bridge — connecting not just art forms, but people, places, and generations.

One year ago, we started with almost nothing. Just tons of ideas, planning, trials and errors. Then people started sayin...
08/24/2026

One year ago, we started with almost nothing. Just tons of ideas, planning, trials and errors. Then people started saying YES 💙

And little by little, West Coast Cultural Lab wcculturallab started to grow.

01 · The first YES(es)
To the people and organizations who believe in us when we were completely new: those first yeses meant more than you probably knew.

02 · Arts & culture
Thank you Word Vancouver , a festival bringing together so many amazing writers; Enabling Arts , a soulful art space creating a platform for art lovers; storied.north , an incredible platform amplifying film events & festivals; and everyone who opened your communities to us.

We shared ideas, audiences and opportunities, and found ways to support each other.

03 · Local businesses and community
Velo Star Cafe , a bike repair shop + cafe that supports so many local businesses and community initiatives; ᴋᴜᴍᴀʀᴜ & ᴄᴏ. , who sponsored our fundraisers supporting animal rescue efforts; CHIME Canada promoting Cantonese films and filmmakers in Canada; and Catoro Cat Cafe , an adorable cat cafe helping rescue cats find their forever homes.

Thank you everyone for being open to trying things with us.

04 · Our animal-loving friends 🐾

RAPS , caring for hundreds of rescued cats at their sanctuary while providing veterinary care and support for animals in need; Endless Pawsabilities Rescue and Barney’s Furry Friends Rescue , rescue networks helping dogs find foster families and forever homes.

Thank you to everyone putting so much care into animal rescue and welfare. We may only be able to contribute a little, but we hope one small effort can lead to another ❤️

05 · Community voices
Thank you Emily from wasa wasa and One Night Talk , always open to trying meaningful collaborations with us; and ꜱᴀʀᴏɴ , who helped spread our stories to the Cantonese-speaking community.

Also thanks 溫哥華街坊會 VKA HK House | 香港屋 溫室Bookafilm

06 · And 300+ artists
Filmmakers, musicians, writers, illustrators, photographers and creators from around the world trusted us with your work.

We couldn’t showcase everything, but we truly appreciated every submission.

We’re trying to build more way

Meet the international short film lineup of the West Coast Mini Film Festival 2026! 🌊Selected from nearly 100 submission...
08/13/2026

Meet the international short film lineup of the West Coast Mini Film Festival 2026! 🌊

Selected from nearly 100 submissions worldwide, our program brings together 7 Official Selections + 1 Special Screening from Australia, Canada, India, Iran, Ukraine and the USA.

👀 Swipe to meet the films
🏆 Watch them all and vote for your Audience Favourite on festival day!

The shorts will be followed by the North American Premiere of The Manor, our Feature Presentation from Hong Kong.

📅 Aug 29, 2026 | 1 PM
📍 The Cinematheque
🎟️ 20% off Early Bird tickets at Eventbrite

Plus, 15% of ticket sales support All Bodies Dance Project, and stay after the screening for our RAPS fundraiser sponsored by Kumaru & Co. 🐾

🎧 Our Community Picks Playlist is finally here!We received so many great music submissions this time, and even more impo...
08/11/2026

🎧 Our Community Picks Playlist is finally here!

We received so many great music submissions this time, and even more importantly, so many meaningful stories behind them.

Choosing was difficult. We actually have more music than airtime… but let’s see what we can squeeze in 👀

We also wanted to use this little space to support independent musicians, so we’re starting the playlist with three newly released tracks from independent artists, giving everyone a chance to discover something fresh. Feel free to look them up on Spotify and keep listening after the festival! 🎶

Then we’ll move into two more Community Picks, selected not only for the music, but for the stories people shared with us.

During the festival, the stories behind these songs will appear on screen, so you’re not just listening to a playlist. You’re meeting the people and memories behind the music ❤️

We received more beautiful stories than we could fit into the program this time. Some may find another home in a future issue of Vancouver On Ink.

Your song might play for a few minutes, but your story can travel much further.

🎬 West Coast Mini Film Festival 2026
August 29 | 1 PM
The Cinematheque, Vancouver

Ticket at Eventbrite

Community Art Jam 🎨What happens when music, stories, creativity, and a little curiosity come together?Join us for our Co...
08/07/2026

Community Art Jam 🎨

What happens when music, stories, creativity, and a little curiosity come together?

Join us for our Community Art Jam, a free morning where everyone is welcome to create, explore, and connect. No experience needed, just bring yourself (and maybe a few recyclable materials from home!).

🎵 Live electronic music by Moon Razor �🎨 Open Upcycling Art Jam with Emily Lau / Painter �📚 Story Corner�🎴 Mystery Cards�🍪 Snacks

📅 August 15, 2026�🕙 10 AM to 1 PM�📍 21st & Main Plaza�💛 Free Admission

As part of celebrating West Coast Cultural Lab’s first anniversary, we’re excited to create another space where creativity brings people together.
Whether you stay for ten minutes or the whole morning, we’d love to create with you.

See you there! 🌊

🌊 This event is part of West Coast Cultural Lab’s 1st Anniversary Celebration.
Throughout August, we’re celebrating with community projects that bring people together through creativity, including:
�🧡 Community Art Jam (Aug 15)�🎬 West Coast Mini Film Festival & The Manor North American Premiere (Aug 29, tickets at Eventbrite)�📰 The 1st Anniversary Edition of Vancouver On Ink�📚 Word Vancouver 2026 Word Vancouver
….. and more!

Thank you for being part of our first year.
Here’s to many more stories, collaborations, and creative moments together!

07/21/2026

Kayley ✰ was one of the selected filmmakers in our A Visual Letter to Your Animal Mini Film Festival. To celebrate our first anniversary, she created this lovely reel for us, opening an envelope filled with memories from our first year.

One of (wcculturallab ) West Coast Cultural Lab’s hopes is to create a place where artists can be seen, share their creativity, and have a chance to shine.

At this stage, everyone behind the Lab is volunteering their time, energy, and skills. We hope that one day, with funding and support, we’ll be able to give back to the artists who make these projects possible.

Before we grow to that scale, we are already deeply thankful.

Thank you to every artist who trusted us with your work, every partner who opened a door, every volunteer who gave their time, and every person who supported us in ways both big and small.

This reel opens more than an envelope. It opens the memories of everything we have built together in our first year.

And this is only the beginning.

If you believe art has the power to bring people together, we’d love for you to be part of this journey. Share this with someone who loves arts and culture, and join us because every artist deserves a place to shine ✨

06/30/2026

A little sneak peek 👀

Today we had the opportunity to visit RAPS Cat Sanctuary , and we left feeling incredibly inspired.

From the RAPSAnimalHospital and RAPS Thrift Stores to Canada’s largest cat sanctuary and an adoption centre, it’s amazing to see how every part works together to support animal welfare. Behind it all is a team of passionate staff and over 250 volunteers whose kindness and dedication make such a meaningful impact every single day.

A heartfelt thank you to Mandy for the wonderful private tour and for sharing the stories behind RAPS with so much passion. Your commitment to animals is truly inspiring. Thank you as well to Michael for making today’s visit possible.

wcculturallab is a small non-profit organization, but we believe that when everyone contributes a little, meaningful things can happen.

Something exciting is on the way.
Stay tuned 🌊

These are definitely not perfect photos, but we just couldn’t wait to share 🌊As West Coast Cultural Lab ( wcculturallab)...
06/12/2026

These are definitely not perfect photos, but we just couldn’t wait to share 🌊

As West Coast Cultural Lab ( wcculturallab) approaches its first anniversary this August, we made our very first merch to mark this special milestone.

A small tote bag and T-shirt to celebrate a year of community events, publications, screenings, collaborations, experiments, and all the wonderful people we’ve met along the way.

When we started, we had no idea where this journey would lead. What we’ve learned is that meaningful things are rarely built alone. Every conversation, partnership, volunteer, artist, contributor, audience, and supporter has helped shape our projects.

As we continue preparing for our anniversary, we’re excited for what’s ahead. We hope to keep creating, connecting, and carrying stories forward together.

If you’re working on something meaningful, dreaming up a project, or simply love arts, culture, storytelling, and community, come say hi. We’d love to connect with like-minded people. Awwwww

(Okay, we will take better photos and post again)

05/30/2026

One year ago, West Coast Cultural Lab began as a small idea, like a drop of water entering the ocean.

Over time, that drop slowly connected with others through screenings, publications, conversations, collaborations, and shared stories.

As we begin planning our 1st anniversary celebration series, we also wanted to share the story behind our logo.

The wave forms a “W” for the West Coast, the place we now call home. Hidden within it, Morse code spells “CLS” for Cultural Lab Society, while also nodding to the ways we communicate today through comments, likes, shares, and signals across distance.

Together, the wave and code subtly form an octopus, symbolizing curiosity, adaptability, and exploration across theatre, film, design, community publication, events, and emerging technology.

Morse code once connected people across oceans.
Like waves, we hope stories and creativity can continue carrying people toward one another.

Thank you for being part of the current with us.

Stay tuned. More anniversary announcements, open calls, screenings, and collaborations will be shared soon 🌊

We are still developing Under The Radar, and along the way, we’ve met musicians who are interested in future collaborati...
03/30/2026

We are still developing Under The Radar, and along the way, we’ve met musicians who are interested in future collaborations.

Because of this, we’ve decided to keep this open call ongoing.

If something meaningful comes up, we would love to reach out and include you.

Feel free to share your music with us, and also pass this along to musician friends who might be interested.

🥁Scan QR code or check out website, link in bios!

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Vancouver, BC

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