Before I Die
What is important to you
2011-present
It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget what really matters to you. When I lost someone I loved very much, I thought about death a lot. This helped clarify my life, the people I want to be with, and the things I want to do, but I struggled to maintain perspective. I wanted to know what was important to the people around me and I wanted a daily reminder. So with help from old and new friends, I painted the side of an abandoned house in my neighborhood in New Orleans with chalkboard paint and stenciled it with a grid of the sentence “Before I die I want to _______.” Anyone walking by could pick up a piece of chalk, reflect on their lives, and share their personal aspirations in public space.
It was all an experiment and I didn’t know what to expect. By the next day the wall was entirely filled out and it kept growing: Before I die I want to… sing for millions, hold her one more time, eat a salad with an alien, see my daughter graduate, abandon all insecurities, plant a tree, straddle the International Date Line, get clean, live off the grid, build a school, be someone’s cavalry, be completely myself… People’s responses made me laugh out loud and tear up. They consoled during my own tough times. It’s about knowing you’re not alone. It’s about understanding our neighbors in new and enlightening ways. It’s about making space for reflection and contemplation and remembering what matters most to us as we grow and change.
After receiving many requests, my Civic Center colleagues and I created a Before I Die toolkit and the project site beforeidie.cc to help people make a wall with their community. You can also download all files for free to remix or create your own stencils. Thanks to passionate people, over 75 Before I Die walls have now been created in over 10 languages and in over 25 countries, including Kazakhstan, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Australia, Argentina, and South Africa. Each wall is unique and reflects the people of that community. Each wall is a tribute to living an examined life. The project shows you don’t need a big budget to make a big impact. It also questions how we use our time and our public spaces. In our age of increasing distractions it’s more important than ever to find ways to maintain perspective and remember that life is brief and tender. Thinking about death clarifies your life. And with more ways to share our hopes, fears, and stories in public space, the people around us can not only help us make better places, they can help us become our best selves.
Visit the project website beforeidie.cc for more walls, tools, and resources. Follow the Before I Die project on Twitter and Facebook to stay updated on the latest walls and responses. Watch my TED talk about the project. Have you created a Before I Die wall or remix? Please send your photos and stories to hello@beforeidie.cc!
“One of the most creative community projects ever.” - The Atlantic
The first stencil
Within 24 hours of stenciling the wall.
Kristina Kassem Once the wall was filled to the max or looking janky, we washed it down and started over again.
Update Sept 22, 2011: After seven months, the first wall comes to a happy end: the house will be turned into a home again thanks to new owners. We painted over the wall and stenciled one last thing – something Wendell Pierce said a few months ago that has stayed with Candy since: “Our thoughts are to the individual as our art is to the community.” It was ready to go but from the ashes come more.
Update Sept 22, 2011: After receiving many requests, we created a Before I Die toolkit to help people make a wall with their community! It includes a one-column stencil made of thick mylar so it’s easy to hang rigid against a wall. It also includes a title stencil, a guide, metal chalk holders, gloves, and chalk. All files are also available for free download if you’d like to create your own stencils.
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Brooklyn. Photo above by Shake Shack
Brooklyn. Photo above by Shake Shack
Johannesburg. Photo from facebook.com/BeforeIDieSA
Savannah. Photo above by Trevor Coe
Querétaro, Mexico
Thanks to your passion, this participatory public art project is expanding to countries around the world, including Kazakhstan, Mexico, Italy, Australia, Portugal, Argentina, and beyond! Visit the project website beforeidie.cc for more info. Follow the Before I Die project on Twitter and Facebook.
“Death can inspire life. Especially in New Orleans, on the corner of Marigny and Burgundy, where the Before I Die project has used the specter of urban decay and death to create art and inspire. Using a boarded up house as a canvas, artist Candy Chang transformed a haunting reminder of blight and divestment into a powerful affirmation of human life and imagination.” – Life and Times
Developed with support from the Black Rock Arts Foundation. February 2011 and beyond. 41′ x 8′, Chalkboard paint, stencils, spray paint, chalk. New Orleans, LA. With permission from the property owner, residents of the block, the neighborhood association’s blight committee, the Historic District Landmarks Commission, the Arts Council, and the City Planning Commission. Installation assistance: Kristina Kassem, Alan Williams, Cory Klemmer, Anamaria Vizcaino, James Reeves, Alex Vialou, Earl Carlson, and Gary Hustwit. You have permission to use photos above for publicity of the project. Photos by Civic Center, unless credited otherwise.
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