Before I Die...

Since late June, something a little unusual has been up on the wall of a local bar called Alibi in San Diego.

Photo by Holly Yang, Sept. 21, 2012 ~7:45 am

It something called the Before I Die project, and it is the second time this dynamic public bucketlist it has come to San Diego. The installations last for varying periods of time, and people walking by write on them with chalk. After it is full, the board is wiped clean and it starts over again. Funny, ambitious, heartbreaking, profound, crass, inspirational and huh? are all words to describe what I have read on the board. It isn't far from my work, so I'll check it out and add photos periodically. This is a global project started by Candy Chang in New Orleans after the loss of a loved one, but the work has traveled far and wide. There are now Before I Die walls in multiple countries and many in the U.S. If there isn't one near you, you can purchase a starter kit on their website, or just make one yourself. It has gotten a lot of press in San Diego and nationally (Atlantic, Salon, NBC News, and even Oprah). Candy is a TED Senior Fellow and has received numerous awards, and a "Before I Die" book is in the works. You can follow along on Twitter too (@BeforeIdiewall). Just thought I'd share one of the coolest crowdsourcing/community art projects I've seen.