virtual care lab
virtual care lab is a series of creative experiments in remote togetherness, generated by an open digital community of thinkers, educators, creative practitioners, activists, technologists, and friends. We aim to create spaces for joy, exploration, invention, and collective care, and meaningful ways to connect interpersonally through the screen.
virtual care lab projects may take on various formats, from workshops and gatherings to interactive performances and online mini-sites. In past months, the community has experimented through activities such as a virtual neighborhood exploration, domestic group movement performance, herbal allies workshop, ambient letter writing, intuitive sound-making, body-as-home exploration, metaphorical time logging, and collective poetry visualization.
We support hosts with facilitation and curatorial guidance, promotion and community support, and technical tools. Hosts keep 75% of ticket revenues created by a project. Recognizing we are working to find ways to build a sustainable project and platform, 15% will go to the virtual care lab organizers and 10% to NAVEL towards administrative costs.
Learn more about how to propose a gathering here.
Current Open Call: ‘Care as Practice’
virtual care lab invites creators, technologists, civilians, organizers, hobbyists, futurists, and friends to propose activities that practice collective care as either a series of gatherings or a routine practice.
In Lab Hour conversations, we have reflected on the speed and ephemerality of online culture. By contrast, how can continued practices sustain important conversations, enable slow experimentation, and cultivate trust across digital space?
As a thought starter, some ideas we are currently pursuing include a guided activism hour, shared meal time, guided neighborhood walks, virtual community field trips, letter writing, and collective poetry assemblages.
Submit an idea for a project here.
Where to Find Us
Learn more at virtualcarelab.com and follow @virtualcarelab
Join our community space on Discord
Ideate with us during Lab Hour on Sundays at 2pm PST
Reach out to us by email at virtualcarelab [at] gmail.com
We invite you to explore past and upcoming public activities below.
virtual care lab is organized by Alice Yuan Zhang and Sara Suárez, in partnership with NAVEL.