Soul Gardens, a W2 community public art project, investigates the cultural history of the Downtown Eastside as told through stories of food, gardening and community. Soul Gardens is a collaboration between five muralists (Indigo/Shallom Johnson, Take 5/Michael Fraser, Scott Sueme, Jordan Bent, Melanie Schambach) and five artist researchers (Cease Wyss, Sid Tan, Lani Russwurm, Anne Marie Slater, Wayde Compton) all from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Through a process of inquiry and research, the artists draw heavily on individual and shared narratives within the founding DTES cultural groups including the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations, and African, Chinese, Japanese and European settlers. In addition to a large public mural on Hastings Street, Soul Gardens created a dynamic online interface inviting individuals to share recipes, stories, photos and other information about how food played a role in shaping their experience of Vancouver.

The words painted in brightly-coloured, stylized graffiti text across the base of the mural represent an expression in the S?wx wú7mesh Snichim (Squamish language) – “Ha7lh en Skwalwen”. “Ha7lh” - good; “en” - my; “Skwalwen” - heart as a seat of affection. From muralist Take 5: “It means a good feeling that you carry in your heart, written in the language of the people that have lived here a long, long time.” From lead artist researcher Cease Wyss: “The Skwxwu7mesh quote used in this work “ha7lh en skwalwen” which translates as “my heart feels good” is a reminder that the First Languages, like the First Peoples, continue to thrive and live here. The Salmon represent resilience, as well as hope for sustainability. The Woman and the Child represent what we are holding onto, and what we are reaching for: hope and life. The visual stories represented in this mural weave themselves into the many culturally diverse groups of neighbors and what we all share in our daily lives, and a hope for those who view it daily to be lifted up during their work at the garden or their daily commute, or even just their walk in the hood.”