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Insights on Candy Chang's "Before I Die" Project

The professor and students are discussing Candy Chang's "Before I Die" art project, where she installed a wall for people to write what they want to accomplish before dying. The students note that the responses fell into categories like helping others, love, and travel. While some responses were silly or selfish, most focused on positive goals that make the world better or find love and happiness. The professor agrees the responses show different aspects of humanity. They note Chang's project has spread widely and positively connects people and communities.

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Hiền Nguyễn Thị Thu
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13 views5 pages

Insights on Candy Chang's "Before I Die" Project

The professor and students are discussing Candy Chang's "Before I Die" art project, where she installed a wall for people to write what they want to accomplish before dying. The students note that the responses fell into categories like helping others, love, and travel. While some responses were silly or selfish, most focused on positive goals that make the world better or find love and happiness. The professor agrees the responses show different aspects of humanity. They note Chang's project has spread widely and positively connects people and communities.

Uploaded by

Hiền Nguyễn Thị Thu
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Transcripts

PROFESSOR: Good morning, everyone. Last week we read about howartistCandy


Chang's “Before I Die” project [Link] was feeling very unhappybecause a friend
had just died. She was also depressed about thepoor conditionof her neighborhood. So
she started her wall project. Some of the responsesshegot were silly, some were full of
hope, some were heartbreaking. Fromtheresponses, Chang understood that her project
was meaningful for other [Link] wall became very popular and soon other people
began to createsimilarwalls. This is one of my favorite responses, "Before I die I want to
teachkidstolive, love and be free." Which ones do you like?
MIKA: I liked this one, "Before I die I want to know what I want." MATEO: A few of them
were silly, such as "I want to eat strawberry cake." Butthere were so many good ones. It
was hard for me to choose. PROFESSOR: That's true. There were a lot of interesting
ones. Didyoufindanypatterns in the responses? What do you think, Ana? ANA: It seemed
as if the responses were about a few basic topics. PROFESSOR: I agree, Ana. What
were some of these general topics?ANA: A lot of them were about helping other people
and making [Link]: Exactly. Like the one about wanting to help a million
people. ANA: And "I want to make people smile." Mateo, what do you think?
MATEO: I am not so sure. A lot of them were about what people wantedfor themselves.
For example, "I want to be famous" or "I want to make amilliondollars." Aren't those kind of
selfish?

MIKA: Yes, that's true, Mateo, a lot of people wanted something, but manyof themwanted
love and happiness, not money

or things for themselves. For instance, "I want to love and be loved." And"I wanttospend
a lifetime with you." Those are not selfish.

ANA: A chapter at the end of Chang's book gives some data about
[Link] percent of the responses were about love. Travel was
[Link] response said, "I want to ride a motorcycle to South America."
Or, "I wanttotravel the world with my friends.”
PROFESSOR: That's very interesting, Ana. Why do you think the responseswereabout
just a few basic topics?

MATEO: Maybe they just show different parts of what it means to behuman.
PROFESSOR: Absolutely.

PROFESSOR: Chang's website reports that there have been morethan1,000walls in 36


languages in 73 countries. At the beginning of class, I said that Chang had done
something meaningful. What do you think?Whydoyou think the walls are so popular?
Mateo?

MATEO: I think people write on the walls because it makes themfeel better, especially if
they share something that is sad or painful. What do youthink, Mika?
MIKA: I am not so sure that is the reason. I think it has a bigger purpose. It canconnect
people in a community. Sometimes we don't even talk to our [Link] lets you
talk to everyone and listen to everyone.

PROFESSOR: Exactly, Mika. It can really help people understand andtrust eachother.

MATEO: Maybe it's both of those things. Sharing our feelings with othersmakesusfeel
better but it also builds connections among people in the community. PROFESSOR:
True. That makes sense, Mateo.
MIKA: And the wall builds those connections with people we don't evenknow-people we
probably will never meet. Right, Ana? ANA: I don't think so. I don't think that explains it. I
don't really understandwhypeople want to share these private feelings with strangers.
MATEO: That's my point. The walls are popular because sometimes it iseasiertoshare
them in public with strangers.

PROFESSOR: That's a good point, Mateo.

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