《Before I Die》

《Before I Die》重新构想了我们城市的城墙如何帮助我们应对当今社会的死亡和意义。在她所爱的人去世后，Chang用黑板漆在新奥尔良附近的一所废弃的房子上画了一幅画，并用模板写上了“在我死之前，我想要……”，以恢复她的视角，并从邻居那里找到安慰。任何路过的人都可以拿起一支粉笔，反思死亡和生命，并在公共场合分享他们的个人愿望。

第二天，这堵墙就被填满了，而且还在不断增长：在死前我想……看到我的女儿毕业，为数百万人唱歌，放弃所有不安，找回我的妻子，成为某人的救星，告诉我的母亲我爱她，赚取生活费，追随儿时的梦想，有一个学生回来告诉我这很重要，再拥抱她一次，完全做自己。

《大西洋月刊》称其为“有史以来最具创意的社区项目之一”，在收到世界各地想要与他们的社区一起建造一堵墙的人的请求后，Chang创建了在线资源供居民自行创作。多亏了世界各地的热情人士，现在已有超过5000面《Before I Die》墙由来自70多个国家的社区创建，包括伊拉克、中国、巴西、哈萨克斯坦和南非。Chang关于《Before I Die》的2012年TED演讲已被观看超过五百万次，并被翻译成40多种语言。作为现代版的“记住你终将一死”（memento mori），这一艺术装置重新想象了我们在公共领域与死亡以及彼此之间的关系。欲了解更多，请访问《Before I Die》网站。

2011年至今，美国路易斯安那州新奥尔良及全球各地。材料：粉笔漆、喷漆、粉笔。尺寸：高8英尺x宽41英尺。已获得房产所有者、街区居民、邻里协会的废墟委员会、历史区地标委员会、新奥尔良艺术委员会和城市规划委员会的许可。安装协助人员：Kristina Kassem、Cory Klemmer、Anamaria Vizcaino、James Reeves、Alan Williams、Alex Vialou、Earl Carlson 和 Gary Hustwit。

Before I Die

Before I Die reimagines how the walls of our cities can help us grapple with mortality and meaning as a community today. After the death of someone she loved, Chang painted an abandoned house in her New Orleans neighborhood with chalkboard paint and stenciled the prompt, “Before I die I want to ___,” to restore perspective and find consolation with her neighbors. Anyone walking by could pick up a piece of chalk, reflect on death and life, and share their personal aspirations in public.

By the next day, the wall was entirely filled out and it kept growing: Before I die I want to… see my daughter graduate, sing for millions, abandon all insecurities, get my wife back, be someone’s cavalry, tell my mother I love her, make a livable wage, follow my childhood dream, have a student come back and tell me it mattered, hold her one more time, be completely myself.

The Atlantic called it, “one of the most creative community projects ever,” and after receiving requests from people around the world who wanted to make a wall with their community, Chang made online resources for residents to create their own. Thanks to passionate people around the world, over 5,000 Before I Die walls have now been created by communities in over 75 countries, including Iraq, China, Brazil, Kazakhstan, and South Africa. Chang’s 2012 TED talk about Before I Die has been viewed over five million times and translated into over 40 languages. A memento mori for the modern age, the installation reimagines our relationship with death and with one another in the public realm. Learn more on the Before I Die website.

2011 – present, New Orleans, Louisiana and worldwide. Chalkboard paint, spray paint, chalk. 8′ h x 41′ w. With permission from the property owner, residents of the block, the neighborhood association’s blight committee, the Historic District Landmarks Commission, the Arts Council of New Orleans, and the City Planning Commission. Installation assistance by Kristina Kassem, Cory Klemmer, Anamaria Vizcaino, James Reeves, Alan Williams, Alex Vialou, Earl Carlson, and Gary Hustwit.