Who We Are
“Hi there. I’m Jason Guille, and I have been stewarding Sunset Labs for almost 20 years. I have a small team of capable folk who work hard with me to keep our Sunset vision alive and thriving, and we look forward to having the space help lift YOUR vision soon.”
Our Values
Our values include connection, collaboration, diversity & inclusion, consent, creativity and community. We will seek to support projects and events that reflect these values and intentions, and respectfully reserve the right to decline playing host to those we feel are not in alignment with our culture and the wellness of our community.
Our Culture
While we are equipped to host a great variety of creative content, Sunset Labs has been primarily developed to host projects and events that forward our community & planet, focusing on education & leadership, social justice, community engagement, music and the arts, environmental protection and the work of our local non-profit sector.
Territory Acknowledgement
/Sunset Labs sits on the traditional, ancestral, unceded homelands of the Lekwungen people, now also known as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.
The presence of settlers (non-Indigenous peoples who live on these lands) is not neutral; colonialism is a current, ongoing process that has had and continues to have devastating impacts on many aspects of life for Indigenous peoples. We acknowledge the land as an expression of honour and respect to the original peoples who have long cared for and walked in harmony with this land, and who continue to do so today. This represents a single step in the long journey of healing the damage that our current paradigm of colonization is inflicting (for deeper steps, please explore the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action).
As a community venue in an urban village, we strive to foster connection and relationship here in our city. By coming together in a good way in a vibrant expression of learning, art, movement, dance or ceremony, tapping in to a forgotten ancestral memory of what it means to be a village, becomes possible. In these shared moments of connecting, we perhaps can better reflect on the learning, art, movement, dance and ceremony that the original peoples of this land have had to work so hard to protect and keep alive.
We endeavour to honour this land and its treaties by strengthening our relationship and responsibilities to them, and we acknowledge and thank the Lekwungen people, on whose land we live, work, create, dance and play.
Wolf Heads from Cairns (used with permission) | Darlene Gait – One Moon Gallery
an important note on
OUR RELATIONSHIP TO MONEY
As a business, our relationship to money, value and reciprocity is perhaps a bit unconventional. While we recognize the importance of traditional dollars in sustaining our operations, we also embrace the power of barter and strategic collaborations. Whenever possible, we are open to exchanging services to meet each other’s needs. We also frequently sponsor or subsidize progressive community events that align with our values. Our ultimate goal is to make hosting your event with us a seamless, effective and rewarding experience.
If your endeavours contribute to creating a better world for all, we are doubly enthusiastic to work with you.
Don’t hesitate to reach out – we’d love to explore bringing your vision to life.
Our History
by Jason Guille
When I took over the space in 2006 (“Sunset ROOM”, back then), there had already been some random events taking place and it sparked my interest to think it could really become… something. I wasn’t sure what that something would be, but at the time it was art, music, dance and hosting events that really got me excited. We started creating regular gatherings of our own, and inviting others to do so as well.
In the beginning, there was light.
Blacklight that is – and lasers – and fireshows – and all the ropelights and coloured bulbs we could find. Sunset initially launched as an event venue catering primarily to arts, music and dance – and it was a hit.
While there was a clear demand for space for people to connect, dance and make merry, it didn’t take long to realize we really needed to hone our event production chops including crowd management & security, harm reduction, audio/video tech, team building & volunteer management. We couldn’t go halfway, so, we went both feet in!
Then came the golden arts years.
Over the following 5 years, Sunset really ‘hit it’s stride’ in music and arts culture in Victoria. We worked through the operational bugs and got really committed to safety & community. We didn’t sell alcohol and we focused on events & gatherings for the local music & festival culture.
It was a lot of work, and, a LOT of people contributed to help grow the space and the overall vision. It truly became a community, often feeling like a very large family that would reconnect at the various events we hosted. So many creators, musicians, thinkers, dancers and artists.
Where to from here?
Then came a time things were more difficult. Between staff problems, management fatigue, and the complexities of the latenight scene… the project wasn’t flowing well for me. We experimented with various formats and formulas, and worked to diversify the venue’s overall use.
I couldn’t figure out how to have Sunset better align with my own changing nature & interests. It was difficult energetically and almost impossible financially. Despite hosting many amazing projects, I almost closed the business, twice, during those tough years.
Renewal, Investment & Effort
It was in the mid 2010’s we started to regain momentum. A lot was happening… we were hosting more workshops & classes, gifting more to worthy projects & causes, constantly upgrading our technical capacities, and completed 2 renovations in 5 years. Vitality returns!
We’ve installed a brand new sound system, a high-end projector & screen, an array of new livestream & video production equipment, new lighting throughout, bought new tables & chairs, and installed the new hexagon sound baffles. The scene is now set for another cycle of epic creation.
And that brings us to now.
As of this year, Sunset Labs is no longer hosting latenight events – that lifecycle for us is complete. And while not initially of our choosing, this change simply accelerates an already emerging vision – Sunset Labs, the Victoria production studio for virtual & hybrid events.
With our recent renovations and virtual stage system complete, we continue on the path to support creators. With deepest gratitude for all that has come before, we put one foot in front of the other, and begin this new chapter – using Sunset Labs to accelerate YOUR vision.
MEDIA LIBRARY
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AUDIO Coming Soon!
Where Would We Be?
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I’ve always intended Sunset Labs as a flexible, adaptive, accessible homebase for Victoria’s creative communities. I hope our space serves you, and welcome your feedback how we can make it better still! Best wishes…
Want to get involved?
Sunset Labs is meant to be a place we all get to learn from, grow with, take from, give to and co-create. If you’re interested in volunteering, collaborating, sponsoringor using the space in some way – please reach out.
Sunset Labs can be found at 400 Herald Street, Victoria BC Canada
Want more detailed directions and a downloadable map?
“Sunset labs has been a great hub and home for many of us… a conscientious, creative, inclusive, love-based one. It has been a steady birthplace of magic and vision and beauty, where many of us have healed through dance & music & love & connection. Thank you!”
“This is such a great place to gather and also to house the magic of technology along with the people who use it to share these amazing events to more than ever could have attended before!!!”
“What a place! It could be called Spring Labs, as it brings renewal and regeneration and regrowth in a culture and society where it is truly needed. Sunset Labs is special, and has been one big inspiration and support in my own work and journey. Thank you!”
“Beautiful space, with a warm and inviting vibration. Happy to call Sunset a regular and heavily appreciated dance & event zone!”
