Before I Die - Tumblr Posts

On Sunday I'm launching Candy Chang's international Before I Die project in Kawaura. It's Japan's second installation of the project, and I'm excited to bring it to my rural community. I'm especially looking forward to the potential social impact of this piece. Kawaura is a shrinking, elderly community of 5,000 people, so "before I die, I want to..." becomes a more immediate statement here. Beyond the elderly, I hope this project encourages the local young people to dream big. Amakusa is a somewhat poor, isolated island, and many of my students when asked what they want to be, reply office worker, nurse, or farmer. There's nothing wrong with those careers, but it's always nurse, never doctor. I hope this wall makes them think deeper about the possibilities in their lives. It goes up on Sunday and stays up for the month of September. 

The "Before I Die" wall went up on 9/7 with the surprise help of local post office workers and an elderly bar owner. Day by day it continues to fill up. Living in a spread out town of 5,000, I never thought people would take to it so quickly, but I'm so happy they have. Check out the construction shots and get more info here. 

Kumamoto Nichi Newspaper. October 25, 2013.

"Before I die I want to..." Written on a blackboard placed at the Kawaura-machi Nakamura Community Center are those words along with the hopes of local residents. Zachary Johnson, twenty-five from Illinois in the US, working as an assistant language teacher in Kawaura, created the wall. According to Johnson, it's part of a public art project which began in New Orleans, US. In over forty countries, various people have installed the same kind of project, he said. Some hopes written by Kawaura residents were, "I want to become rich", "I want to have lots of dogs", etc. Johnson stated, "I want to give people a way to express the dreams they normally keep silent." The piece can be seen until the 29th. 

I wrapped up the Before I Die　project two weeks ago today. Throughout the month I was surprised at the speed at which the wall filled up -- about every two days. The responses came mostly from young students, and it was a great joy to read their responses. Though they've grown up on an isolated, struggling island, their dreams were filled with the humor, warmth, and excitement I would expect from children anywhere. I was happy to give them and other people a chance to speak about their dreams. The project is featured permanently on the Before I Die website.

I hope I touch your life

I hope you remember me 

I hope when you think of me,

you feel the strongest urge

to write about me

in a book lined with gold and clean pages

I hope when I leave this earth, 

I've somehow burned a hole in your heart 

I hope I'm not forgotten