"Before I Die….” A Community Project for 2012-2013
Inspired
by the desire to improve her community and improve herself, Candy Chang, an urban
planner and artist, creates projects that collect our hopes, fears, and stories
in public space to help us lead better lives. Her recent work,
Before I Die, transformed an abandoned house in her neighborhood in New
Orleans into an interactive wall for residents to share their hopes and dreams.
Painted with chalkboard paint and stenciled with the sentence “Before I die I want
to _______”, the wall becomes an enlightening way to get to know your neighbors
and discover the hopes and aspirations of the people around you. It creates a public
space for contemplation and reminds us why we want to be alive in the world today.
This wall is turning into a global participatory art project and expanding to cities
around the world, including Amsterdam, Portsmouth, Querétaro, San Diego, Lisbon,
Brooklyn, and beyond…and now Forsyth County!
See pictures of our wall
We
have created a mobile “Before I Die…” wall, which has been enjoyed at events such
as the annual Elder Abuse Awareness Walk, Alzheimer’s Walk, Kernersville Spring
Folly & Senior Healthy Living Day. Our goal is to build community by displaying
the wall at various local events, encouraging folks to participate by sharing their
dreams and aspirations.
Please contact us if you would
like to have us bring the wall to your event. If you’d like to learn more about
this and other innovative urban projects, visit Candy'
Chang’s website.