Before I die I want to ...
-
0:01 - 0:04There are a lot of ways the people around us
-
0:04 - 0:06can help improve our lives.
-
0:06 - 0:08We don't bump into every neighbor,
-
0:08 - 0:11so a lot of wisdom never gets passed on,
-
0:11 - 0:14though we do share the same public spaces.
-
0:14 - 0:17So over the past few years, I've tried ways to share more
-
0:17 - 0:19with my neighbors in public space,
-
0:19 - 0:23using simple tools like stickers, stencils and chalk.
-
0:23 - 0:26And these projects came from questions I had, like,
-
0:26 - 0:29how much are my neighbors paying for their apartments?
-
0:29 - 0:32(Laughter) How can we lend and borrow more things
-
0:32 - 0:36without knocking on each other's doors at a bad time?
-
0:36 - 0:39How can we share more of our memories
-
0:39 - 0:41of our abandoned buildings,
-
0:41 - 0:44and gain a better understanding of our landscape?
-
0:44 - 0:47And how can we share more of our hopes
-
0:47 - 0:50for our vacant storefronts, so our communities
-
0:50 - 0:54can reflect our needs and dreams today?
-
0:54 - 0:57Now, I live in New Orleans,
-
0:57 - 0:59and I am in love with New Orleans.
-
0:59 - 1:03My soul is always soothed by the giant live oak trees,
-
1:03 - 1:06shading lovers, drunks and dreamers
-
1:06 - 1:09for hundreds of years, and I trust a city
-
1:09 - 1:12that always makes way for music. (Laughter)
-
1:12 - 1:14I feel like every time someone sneezes,
-
1:14 - 1:17New Orleans has a parade. (Laughter)
-
1:17 - 1:19The city has some of the most beautiful architecture
-
1:19 - 1:21in the world, but it also has one of the highest amounts
-
1:21 - 1:24of abandoned properties in America.
-
1:24 - 1:27I live near this house, and I thought about how I could
-
1:27 - 1:30make it a nicer space for my neighborhood,
-
1:30 - 1:32and I also thought about something
-
1:32 - 1:36that changed my life forever.
-
1:36 - 1:41In 2009, I lost someone I loved very much.
-
1:41 - 1:45Her name was Joan, and she was a mother to me,
-
1:45 - 1:49and her death was sudden and unexpected.
-
1:51 - 1:55And I thought about death a lot,
-
1:57 - 2:00and
-
2:00 - 2:04this made me feel deep gratitude for the time I've had,
-
2:04 - 2:06and
-
2:07 - 2:10brought clarity to the things that are meaningful
-
2:10 - 2:13to my life now.
-
2:15 - 2:20But I struggle to maintain this perspective in my daily life.
-
2:20 - 2:22I feel like it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day,
-
2:22 - 2:25and forget what really matters to you.
-
2:25 - 2:27So with help from old and new friends,
-
2:27 - 2:29I turned the side of this abandoned house
-
2:29 - 2:32into a giant chalkboard and stenciled it
-
2:32 - 2:34with a fill-in-the-blank sentence:
-
2:34 - 2:38"Before I die, I want to ... "
-
2:38 - 2:41So anyone walking by can pick up a piece of chalk,
-
2:41 - 2:44reflect on their lives, and share their personal aspirations
-
2:44 - 2:47in public space.
-
2:47 - 2:51I didn't know what to expect from this experiment,
-
2:51 - 2:53but by the next day, the wall was entirely filled out,
-
2:53 - 2:55and it kept growing.
-
2:55 - 2:57And I'd like to share a few things
-
2:57 - 3:02that people wrote on this wall.
-
3:02 - 3:11"Before I die, I want to be tried for piracy." (Laughter)
-
3:11 - 3:18"Before I die, I want to straddle the International Date Line."
-
3:18 - 3:22"Before I die, I want to sing for millions."
-
3:22 - 3:29"Before I die, I want to plant a tree."
-
3:29 - 3:33"Before I die, I want to live off the grid."
-
3:33 - 3:39"Before I die, I want to hold her one more time."
-
3:39 - 3:45"Before I die, I want to be someone's cavalry."
-
3:45 - 3:51"Before I die, I want to be completely myself."
-
3:54 - 3:58So this neglected space became a constructive one,
-
3:58 - 4:00and people's hopes and dreams
-
4:00 - 4:03made me laugh out loud, tear up,
-
4:03 - 4:06and they consoled me during my own tough times.
-
4:06 - 4:09It's about knowing you're not alone.
-
4:09 - 4:10It's about understanding our neighbors
-
4:10 - 4:12in new and enlightening ways.
-
4:12 - 4:16It's about making space for reflection and contemplation,
-
4:16 - 4:18and remembering what really matters most to us
-
4:18 - 4:22as we grow and change.
-
4:22 - 4:25I made this last year, and started receiving
-
4:25 - 4:27hundreds of messages from passionate people
-
4:27 - 4:29who wanted to make a wall with their community,
-
4:29 - 4:33so my civic center colleagues and I made a tool kit, and now
-
4:33 - 4:35walls have been made in countries around the world,
-
4:35 - 4:41including Kazakhstan, South Africa,
-
4:41 - 4:44Australia,
-
4:44 - 4:47Argentina and beyond.
-
4:47 - 4:49Together, we've shown how powerful our public spaces
-
4:49 - 4:52can be if we're given the opportunity to have a voice
-
4:52 - 4:55and share more with one another.
-
4:57 - 5:01Two of the most valuable things we have are time
-
5:01 - 5:04and our relationships with other people.
-
5:04 - 5:07In our age of increasing distractions,
-
5:07 - 5:10it's more important than ever to find ways to maintain
-
5:10 - 5:14perspective and remember that life is brief and tender.
-
5:14 - 5:16Death is something that we're often discouraged
-
5:16 - 5:18to talk about or even think about, but
-
5:18 - 5:21I've realized that preparing for death
-
5:21 - 5:24is one of the most empowering things you can do.
-
5:24 - 5:27Thinking about death clarifies your life.
-
5:30 - 5:33Our shared spaces can better reflect what matters to us
-
5:33 - 5:36as individuals and as a community,
-
5:36 - 5:40and with more ways to share our hopes, fears and stories,
-
5:40 - 5:42the people around us can not only help us
-
5:42 - 5:46make better places, they can help us lead better lives.
-
5:46 - 5:49Thank you. (Applause)
-
5:49 - 5:52(Applause)
-
5:52 - 5:55Thank you. (Applause)
-
5:55 - 5:59(Applause)
- Title:
- Before I die I want to ...
- Speaker:
- Candy Chang
- Description:
-
In her New Orleans neighborhood, artist and TED Fellow Candy Chang turned an abandoned house into a giant chalkboard asking a fill-in-the-blank question: “Before I die I want to ___.” Her neighbors' answers -- surprising, poignant, funny -- became an unexpected mirror for the community. (What's your answer?)
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 06:20
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for Before I die I want to ... | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for Before I die I want to ... | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for Before I die I want to ... | ||
Krystian Aparta commented on English subtitles for Before I die I want to ... | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for Before I die I want to ... | ||
Thu-Huong Ha edited English subtitles for Before I die I want to ... | ||
Thu-Huong Ha approved English subtitles for Before I die I want to ... | ||
Thu-Huong Ha edited English subtitles for Before I die I want to ... |
Krystian Aparta
The English transcript was updated on 5/15/2015.