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Many cities are full of vacant storefronts and people who need things. What if we could easily voice what we want, where we want it? How can residents influence the types of stores and services that enter their neighborhood?
This project features fill-in-the-blank stickers that say “I wish this was ____.” Residents can fill them out and put them on abandoned buildings and beyond. Grids of blank stickers and a permanent marker are also posted on vacant storefronts to invite passersby to write their thoughts. The stickers are vinyl and they can be easily removed without damaging property.
I Wish This Was began in New Orleans. Thousands of free stickers were available in businesses around the city, and grids of blank stickers were (and still are) posted on vacant buildings. Responses ranged from the functional to the poetic: I wish this was a butcher shop, a community garden, a place to sit and talk, Brad Pitt’s house, real soul food, a dancing school, Heaven. It’s a fun, low-barrier tool to collect demand in an area, and the responses reflect the hopes, dreams, and colorful imaginations of different neighborhoods across the city.
Created by Candy Chang with support from the Ethnographic Terminalia exhibit. See more at www.iwishthiswas.com.
3067 North Rampart
