In Between Light and Shadow
2017
Comprised of over 1100 paper-thin glass shards, this installation speaks about the importance of shedding light onto something that is almost invisible otherwise. In the context of creating awareness on mental illness and suicide prevention, the glass is a representation of what is in between one's darkness and light at the end of the tunnel.
This installation was created and installed during Takizawa's glass residency at STARworks NC in North Carolina in 2017. The fragile glass shards reacted to audience movement as well as any minor air flow throughout the facility of STARworks NC.
Artist Statement
As a person who is filled with many different emotions, most of my work is cathartic self-expression. In expressing my emotions, I seek to connect with others and evoke a sense of familiarity and fellowship.
A significant part of my work is inspired by my experiences with people who have mental illnesses. Through my body of work, I reflect on topics that are still considered taboo in this world today such as suicide, mental disorders and depression. However, beauty of human emotion is almost always stressed. In the United States, suicide is the tenth leading cause of deaths, and its rate has been increasing in the past decade. This public health issue can be improved by simply having more people talk about it and growing a compassionate heart.
One objective of my journey as an artist is to produce visual cues for people to better understand mental disorders. A significant portion of my work is influenced by the texture and shape of shells, as well as its connotation of protectiveness, privacy and individuality.
Having first hand experience with bipolar disorder, the ups and the downs are part of who I am. The harmonization of the radically different, such as, violence and meditation, spontaneity and meticulousness, and destruction and repair is found in the process, as well as the result of my work.