A beautiful thing happened to Candy
Chang one day in New Orleans two years
ago. After losing a loved one, the artist
came up with an unconventional way of
dealing with the grief she was
experiencing. She decided to paint the
wall of an abandoned building in her
neighborhood, turning the exterior
surface into a giant chalkboard
emblazoned with the words "Before I die
I want to _."
Within 24 hours, that empty wall was
transformed into a giant homepage for
personal testimonials, as passersby
finished Chang's sentence with their own
reflections on life. The final result was a
collage of bucket list promises crafted by
anonymous individuals confessing their
aspirations to see a daughter graduate,
sing for millions or simply be themselves
completely.
"It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-
day and forget what really matters to
you," states a description on the "Before I
Die" website. "[Chang] wanted a daily
reminder and she wanted to know what
was important to the people around her."
Chang wasn't expecting the
overwhelming amount of responses she
received, and she quickly realized that
the phenomenon she had started in New
Orleans wouldn't stop in Louisiana. The
project had already spread across the
web, as people shared the image of the
"Before I Die" wall on social media. So,
upon demand, the artist created a "tool
kit" with downloadable stencils, allowing
admirers around the world to build their
own version of Chang's living sculpture.
Since 2011, more than 400 of these walls
have been built, spreading the simple
phrase to over 60 countries, in 25
different languages. Kazakhstan,
Denmark, Iraq, and South Africa all
have their own "Before I Die" wall, each
serving as a unique reminder to
contemplate not only death but the value
and meaning of life right now.
"Our public spaces are our shared spaces
and at their greatest, they can help us
make sense of the beauty and tragedy of
life with the people around us," the
"Before I Die" site declares.
This month, Chang's project will move
from the streets of international cities to
the pages of a book, published by St.
Martin's Press. Check out a preview of
the images included here, and let us
know how you'd answer Chang's big
question in the comments.
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