ChalkTalks is inspired by the “Before I Die” project created by Candy Chang in the early 2000s. After losing someone she loved, Chang installed chalk boards onto an abandoned house in New Orleans with the prompt “Before I Die…” written at the top. Since then, over two thousand Before I Die walls have been created in over 70 countries around the world. Chang was our main inspiration for implementing a similar project here in Vancouver – one that would address issues close to our hearts and that would facilitate important conversations that are otherwise lacking in the public realm.

Our project currently consists of four (4X8) chalk walls which have been drilled into the pillars underneath the south end of the Cambie Bridge, between 2nd and 1st Avenue. These chalk walls present questions and prompts with the aim of promoting positive responses and conversations from the public. Each board provides chalk, encouraging the public to write their answers, express themselves and engage in an anonymous city-wide conversation. The prompts and questions on these walls currently include:

“What would make you stay?”
“What makes you smile?”
“What is home?”
“I’ve been meaning to tell you…”