Pages

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Before I Die

Jen at Jen's Realia shared this on Facebook and I was struck by the brilliant simplicity of it. It's the perfect illustration of creating a space to let people express themselves.


From the webpage. Who is Candy Chang? Candy Chang likes ot make cities more comfortable for people. She is a public installation artist, designer, urban planner, TED Fellow, and co-founder of Civic Center in New Orleans.

It's people like Candy Chang who lift us up. She's using her creativity to spread something intangible. Hope? Direction? Light? Whatever it is, people responded. Go read the piece and look at the responses. And when you're done, let me know how you would fill in the blank.

Before I die I want to_________________________.

xoxo,

Lisa
By at
Tags: , , , ,

17 comments:

  1. willSeptember 10, 2011 at 1:53 PM

    If you don't mind, I offer dissension. The 'fill in the blank' is too much like prayer and wishing. These are easy and aren't the same as an action.

    Sure, someone might be motivated by the wall of comments but many of today's problems are here because of passivity, not social action and organization.

    I suppose my response to the fill in the blank is: I want to see you get off your sofa and organize ... do fund raising, get socially responsible people elected, lobby congress to get their priorities in order, re-write the tax codes, force an end to misplaced military adventures, force congress to invest in education, scientific and tech research, force the Feds and states to improve schools, roads and bridges.

    And roll back all the cumulative bad shit that's been dumped during and since the Reagan-Bush dynasties.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Randal GravesSeptember 10, 2011 at 2:00 PM

    I hate (not really) to offer dissension to someone I don't know, but socially responsible elected officials are make-believe like elves, gremlins & Eskimos.

    As for death, I want to know where I can send away for a Certificate of Appropriateness. And say X to Y. (ha ha, I stole someone's blank)

    ReplyDelete
  3. shrink on the couchSeptember 10, 2011 at 2:02 PM

    Sometimes it just takes a wish to nudge someone in the direction of following through on a dream. Gotta get in touch with the feeling of hope and aspiration before anything is accomplished. Some kids never get asked such a thing, to dream.

    Great post! And project by Chang.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Steve EmerySeptember 10, 2011 at 5:05 PM

    Before I die I want to lose all my fears.

    I'm with yogurt - this is effective because for some a nudge to voice their dream is all it takes to start the dream rolling. And the project makes people see their dream as one among many others... I think that's a lesson we would all do well to remember.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The CrowSeptember 10, 2011 at 6:10 PM

    ...contribute something of value to the world.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fragrant LiarSeptember 10, 2011 at 6:34 PM

    Naturally, since we're friends and all, I confess I'd want a coupla good orgasms before I kicked, but if we're talking world peace sort of caliber, I'd want to cure cancer, even if it was just donating the money to accomplish that. Cuz lord knows, I'm smart (obviously), but maybe not cancer cure smart. I know you know what I mean. xo

    ReplyDelete
  7. susanSeptember 10, 2011 at 9:12 PM

    How could I compete with Steve's answer? It's perfect.

    Of course, a more mundane but equally unattainable goal would be to travel the world by ship round about 1925. I think that would have been a good period for seeing strange and fascinating places.

    Candy Chang's wall was a marvelous idea.

    ReplyDelete
  8. sherry stanfa-stanleySeptember 10, 2011 at 10:35 PM

    It's a good thing they wipe the board clean every time it's filled, because I'd probably come up with a new answer every day...

    ReplyDelete
  9. MnmomSeptember 10, 2011 at 11:51 PM

    Can I fill in the whole board???

    ReplyDelete
  10. MnmomSeptember 10, 2011 at 11:52 PM

    Check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwEYYI-AGWs

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2011 at 7:23 AM

    ...organize my closets.

    ReplyDelete
  12. meleah rebeccahSeptember 11, 2011 at 3:25 PM

    Oh wow! That chalkboard wall, on the building is SO awesome, and so are the answers in the 'fill in the blank' sections.

    I have a few.

    1. finish writing my book.
    2. see my son graduate college, get married & have children.
    3. find/help/aid in a cure for Alzheimer's

    ReplyDelete
  13. MommyLisaSeptember 11, 2011 at 6:08 PM

    see my daughter graduate, get the career she wants, get married and have a baby. Not necessarily in that order, but...

    ReplyDelete
  14. Laura MayleneSeptember 12, 2011 at 12:11 AM

    ...let go.
    ...learn two new languages.
    ...adopt a child.

    Interesting, but not surprising, how many of the answers written on the wall were along the lines of "write a book," "get published," or "write a novel."

    ReplyDelete
  15. DownithSeptember 12, 2011 at 3:36 AM

    get old.

    ReplyDelete
  16. AnonymousSeptember 12, 2011 at 1:13 PM

    Yes, Downith. Get really really OLD. A healthy and sassy old lady. Yep.

    ReplyDelete
  17. AnonymousSeptember 13, 2011 at 11:41 PM

    . . . see a redistribution of resources that ends starvation and obesity in one go.

    ReplyDelete

And then you say....

(Comments submitted four or more days after a post is published won't appear immediately. They go into comment moderation to cut down on spam.)

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)