This installation will make you feel nostalgic and think, what did you want to be when you grow up? Was there anything you wanted to change about your career now?

Candy was commissioned to create public art for Finland’s 2011 European Capital of Culture events. For this project, a pedestrian/bike path nicknamed Uraputki or “Career Path”, because it is a popular route that students take from their residences to the university, to get a degree to get a job. This path was turned into an interactive space with stenciled fill-in-the-blank sentences to make students reflect on their life choices as far as careers are concerned.

For example, sentences stenciled on the pavement say “When I was little I wanted to be ____. Today I want to be ____.” in Finnish, Swedish, and English. Passersby can use colored chalk to write directly on the pavement and reflect upon their larger life choices. Sun and rain erase the responses and the installation starts again. The project is created with temporary spray chalk and will fade with weather and foot traffic.

This project is about comparing yourself today and when you were young, reflecting on how you’ve changed or stayed the same, and thinking about the desires you had as a child. What made you come alive as a kid and why? How can this help inform the decisions you make today? Some favorites: “When I was little I wanted to be a princess. Today I want to be an electrician.” “When I was little I wanted to be a bird. Today I want to be a speech therapist.” “When I was little I wanted to be a grown-up. Today I want to be a kid.” The project is also about learning from the people around us and humanizing our neglected spaces. The industrial path is now a space to pause, reflect, and share with others.

Candy Chang's website.