Now a recognized heritage building which was established in 1906, the Japanese Hall and Language School is a non-profit organization committed to culture, education, and the community. They strive to enrich the understanding of the Japanese-Canadian history among students and community members by facilitating cultural exchanges.

WHAT

A partnership with Railyard Lab was created to envision an interpretive experience in the Japanese Hall and Language School. The 2019 cohort’s goal was to elevate the prominent themes within the Japanese-Canadian history while taking into consideration the BC Curriculum and the existing community of the Downtown Eastside.

HOW

To have a holistic understanding of the Japanese-Canadian story and develop a framework for inspiring and evaluating creative concepts, we conducted a variety of research and ideation activities. From there, we dived into the use of different spatial, technological, and storytelling tools to serve as creativity launchpads for our concepts

IMPACT

A comprehensive interpretive experience in the Japanese Hall and Language School that encompasses and elevates the prominent themes of Japanese-Canadian history, the BC Curriculum, and the existing community of the Downtown Eastside as well as a framework for inspiring and evaluating future creative concepts.