'Before I Die': What will you do? Candy Chang speaks up at Drexel

Last October, the New Orleans-based Taiwanese-American artist Candy Chang, known for installations in cities across the world, set up an invitation for West Philly reflections.

About a year ago, Drexel University purchased the former University City High School at 38th and Powelton Streets, and Chang, also a noted designer and urban planner, installed the chalkboard walls of her “Before I Die” concept around the construction site.

On the installation, columns of empty white lines (168 of them) follow the words, “Before I die I want to”, and passersby can use colorful chalk to fill in anything they want on the walls.

According to Drexel, Chang’s “Before I Die” concept originated in New Orleans on an abandoned property in 2011, after she lost a loved one. The idea caught on around the globe, and the chalkboard installation at the Drexel construction site is one of 500 like it around the world, with wishes scrawled in over 30 languages from 70 countries.

“The wall is really for everyone here,” Chang told Drexel last fall. “It’s an open platform for people to share. This area has experienced a lot of loss over the years. I welcome everyone to write down their hopes for their community and for their lives.”

This week is your last chance to write your dream on the walls. Just before this installation comes down, Chang herself is coming to Drexel for a special lecture titled “Better Cities: Transforming Public Spaces Through Art & Design” at the Mandell Theater at 33rd and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia on Thursday, April 30 from 6:30-8pm. The talk is free and open to the public, but tickets are required.