Chang wants to make cities more contemplative

January 3, 2013  |   Feature
Share This Post

Candy Chang is an artist who wants to make cities more contemplative. She is passionate about redefining the ways we share information in public space to improve our communities and our personal well-being. By combining public art with civic engagement and introspection, she has been recognized for exploring strategies for the design of our cities in order to live our best lives.

Chang said,”People’s responses made me laugh out loud, tear up, and feel consolation during my own tough times. The wall transformed a neglected space into a constructive one where we could restore perspective together. It’s about knowing you’re not alone. It’s about understanding our neighbors in new and enlightening ways. It’s about making space for reflection and contemplation, and remembering what matters most to us as we grow and change. It helped us understand our neighbors in new and enlightening ways.”
Chang said,”People’s responses made me laugh out loud, tear up, and feel consolation during my own tough times. The wall transformed a neglected space into a constructive one where we could restore perspective together. It’s about knowing you’re not alone. It’s about understanding our neighbors in new and enlightening ways. It’s about making space for reflection and contemplation, and remembering what matters most to us as we grow and change. It helped us understand our neighbors in new and enlightening ways.”

Chang explained one project: “I wanted to know what was important to the people around me and I wanted a daily reminder. So with help from old and new friends, I painted the side of an abandoned house in my neighborhood in New Orleans with chalkboard paint and stenciled it with a grid of the sentence “Before I die I want to _______.” Anyone walking by could pick up a piece of chalk, reflect on their lives, and share their personal aspirations in public space…

It was all an experiment and I didn’t know what to expect”

Check out Candy Chang’s TED Talk.

Candy Chang received a BS in Architecture, a BFA in Graphic Design, and a Masters in Urban Planning from Columbia University. Once a designer at The New York Times, she went on to collaborate with community groups to make citizens’ rights and resources more accessible. After working with community groups in Nairobi, New Orleans, Johannesburg, Vancouver, and New York, she began to question the limitations we have in sharing wisdom and resources with our entire neighborhood. Her questions turned into experiments in public space to share more with her neighbors, often using simple tools like stickers, stencils, and chalk.
Candy Chang received a BS in Architecture, a BFA in Graphic Design, and a Masters in Urban Planning from Columbia University. Once a designer at The New York Times, she went on to collaborate with community groups to make citizens’ rights and resources more accessible. After working with community groups in Nairobi, New Orleans, Johannesburg, Vancouver, and New York, she began to question the limitations we have in sharing wisdom and resources with our entire neighborhood. Her questions turned into experiments in public space to share more with her neighbors, often using simple tools like stickers, stencils, and chalk.