Before I Die
Worldwide
Before I Die is a global participatory public art project that reimagines how the walls of our cities can help us grapple with mortality and meaning as a community. Created by Candy Chang in New Orleans after the death of a loved one, this project invites people to reflect and share their personal aspirations in public.
Thanks to passionate people around the world, over 5,000 Before I Die walls have been created by communities in over 75 countries, including Iraq, China, Brazil, Kazakhstan, and South Africa. The Atlantic called it, “one of the most creative community projects ever,” and Candy’s TED talk about Before I Die has been viewed over five million times and translated into over 40 languages.
Each wall is created by local residents who want to make a space in their community to reflect with one another. Each wall is a unique tribute to living an examined life.
The Story
I never expected it to go beyond my neighborhood. I created the first Before I Die wall in New Orleans after the death of someone I loved. Joan was like a mother to me for fifteen years and there were still so many things she wanted to do: learn to play the piano, live in France, see the Pacific Ocean. The shock of her death sent me into a long period of grief and depression. My inner world didn’t feel like it belonged outside at all, and I noticed how much we avoid talking about death.
With time, I felt gratitude for the time we had together and I found clarity in my life by contemplating death so much, but I struggled to maintain this perspective. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget what really matters to you.
I lived a block away from an abandoned house that had been collecting dust and graffiti for years. I wondered if I could make it a nicer space for my neighborhood and make a tribute to Joan by creating a space to restore perspective. I made a homemade stencil that said, “Before I die I want to _____.” With help from old and new friends, I painted the side of this crumbling house with chalkboard paint and stenciled it with this prompt so that anyone walking by could pick up a piece of chalk, reflect on death and life, and share their personal aspirations in public.
I didn’t know what to expect. Because it was cheap to make, I thought it was no big deal if it didn’t work out. The next day, the wall was filled and it kept growing.
The gamut of humanity was on display, and the wall became an honest mess of longing, fear, insecurity, gratitude, humor, pain, and grace. I saw I was not alone as I tried to make sense of my life, and the wall became an ice-breaker for conversations about death and emotional health. Seeing a private corner of your psyche reflected in someone else’s handwriting on a public wall can be incredibly reassuring on an individual level, and it’s a step towards seeing ourselves in one another.
Ten months later, the wall in New Orleans ended for happy reasons: a new owner bought the property and the house became a home again. But this wasn’t the end of the project—I received hundreds of messages from people around the world who wanted to make walls with their communities. I made a step-by-step guide, and today, thanks to passionate people around the world, over 5,000 Before I Die walls have been created in over 75 countries and over 35 languages.
It’s been one of the greatest experiences of my life to see this little experiment grow into a global project. From China to Iran, from Brazil to South Africa, I am continuously inspired by everyone’s walls, which have revealed just how much we share in common.
Participate
Thanks to thousands of people, the Before I Die project has become a global movement with over 5,000 Before I Die walls created in over 75 countries and over 35 languages.
If you’d like to build a wall, please read through the information below to learn about the aim of the project, as well as find answers to some frequently asked questions. Then download this toolkit of resources, which includes a checklist of materials, a step-by-step guide, options to buy readymade stencils, and templates if you prefer to create your own. Together, we can help destigmatize the discussion of death and create public spaces that reflect what matters most to us as individuals and as a community.
I believe every community should have a Before I Die wall, so this concept is free for everyone to use. I hope you’ll follow a few simple guidelines and read through the FAQ below.
- Be free. A Before I Die wall should be accessible for everyone.
- Before I Die is not an advertisement. A Before I Die wall should be free of logos, slogans, website addresses, hashtags, etc—there’s too much of this in the world. However, you’re welcome to feature a sign next to your wall that includes a project description and credits. (You’ll find a sample placard in the resources below.)
- Please keep the word ‘die’ in Before I Die. When we become comfortable talking about death, we can change the culture around it, from one that is full of death denial to one where we confront mortality in a way that compassionately prepares us as individuals and as a community.
