2019 Hisao & Hiroko Taki Plaza wall art project completed

Published: February 7, 2020

The construction of Hisao & Hiroko Taki Plaza, the new student exchange hub gradually rising at the heart of Ookayama Campus, has been underway since May 2019. Thanks to a student-led, community-wide effort, the wall on the west side of the building site is now a 20-meter-long, 2.6-meter-high mural expressing the journey of Tokyo Tech students.

Wall art projectt

After an open call for participants in July, fifteen students took charge of the project. Initially, the team was introduced to the concept and floor plan of the exchange hub by the Taki Plaza student working group. They then created numerous sketches related to the Taki Plaza theme, and held meetings to discuss the diverse proposals that emerged. The team decided on a several components hinting at the student activities that Taki Plaza will enhance, with a motif of a swallow — the symbol of the Institute — at the center.

Early sketching

Sharing ideas

Original design

VP Imura (left) painting the eye of the swallow

Third-year Mechanical Engineering student Kaito Kanda, the head artist for the project, meticulously sketched out the black-and-white outlines, which were then laid out onto the massive wall. Tobe Takaki, a 3rd-year Architecture and Building Engineering student, then created and distributed posters, inviting everyone to join in the fun. After Vice President for Teaching and Learning Jun-ichi Imura put on the first touches of yellow paint on the swallow’s eye on October 30, dozens of students, faculty and staff members, parents, children, and other passers-by contributed. The result was an original piece of art created by the whole Tokyo Tech community.

Students, faculty, staff, and local community members all joining in the fun

Description of mural concept by Kaito Kanda

Currents

Flowing from left to right, the painting as a whole represents the development of Tokyo Tech students into unique, skilled professionals who share their knowledge with the world. Through their exchanges — sometimes serious and at other times mischievous — the students begin trusting and influencing each other. Hence the blue handprints. Their shared journey commences in Japan, an island nation depicted by the sea, mountains, and urban landscapes, and Tokyo Tech, represented by the swallow, the symbol of the Institute. As we move to the right of the mural, we see students learning and approaching their goals, growing as human beings who begin to see things with more clarity, and eventually breaking out of their molds as ambitious, driven individuals.

This event is supported by Tokyo Tech Fund

Tokyo Institute of Technology Fund

Contact

Support Planning Group, Student Support Division

Email gak.sie@jim.titech.ac.jp

Tel +81-3-5734-3011

Student Learning Support Section, Student Support Center

Email concierge.info@jim.titech.ac.jp

Tel +81-3-5734-2760