The School of Art and Design, in collaboration with the IEA, and Foundations, were delighted to have Taro Takizawa visiting us on campus for one short week! Taro was engaged with the Harder Hall foyer space, bringing his research practice to Alfred via a large vinyl installation. In addition, Taro spoke about his innovative process during a public lecture on Wednesday, March 19th at 9am. Learn more about his work here!

“This is a site-specific, wall vinyl installation which began with with wrapping the multiple window panels and then cutting into the vinyl to create a free-flowing pattern. It’s a process of physical repetition of cutting and peeling, getting up and down the ladder, intuitive and exciting moments of finding solutions to my design choices. I focus on how the patterns create a sense of balance, movement, or sometimes abruptly interrupting each other to create interesting variations. While slowly working on this installation, I look back into the time when I lived in Syracuse, NY. The surrounding environment of Alfred reminds me of the time I spent hiking in the Finger Lakes region, looking at waterfalls, seeing frozen rivers and lakes and finding myself reconnecting to nature especially after the lockdown when we were all going out to State Parks and nature preserves. The piece becomes a layer on top of the scenery where the viewers can observe beyond the windows which is very much part of this installation. The natural light coming through the window will cast variety of patterned shadows across the lobby and it will change throughout the day and season, activating the space in different ways.”

Installation in progress!

Taro in front of his installation Soft Landscapes (2025).

Taro Takizawa’s artist talk, which is available on our YouTube page here.