12 Mar Before I die

Installation artist and urban activist Candy Chang turned the side of an abandoned house at the corner of Marigny and Burgundy in New Orleans into a giant chalkboard where residents can record what’s important to them.

She provided chalk:

Chang explains:

It’s also about turning a neglected space into a constructive one where we can learn the hopes and aspirations of the people around us… [T]his entire process (including official approval from many entities) has been a great lesson, experience, and project in itself….I believe the design of our public spaces can better reflect what’s important to us. The responses and stories from passersby while we were installing it have already hit me hard in the heart.

Residents took up the challenge:

After just three days:

The project is self-renewing:

Once the wall is filled, we wash the board with water and begin anew again.

H/T: Jen Cooper