Keiji Ishikawa’s Spiral of Life wins Gold A' Design Award

Spiral of Life, a Kiriko glass tableware collection by Keiji Ishikawa, won Gold in the A’ Design Award’s Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design category. The recognition spotlights a design that blends traditional Japanese cut glass with Fibonacci geometry and may shape how craft-led kitchenware evolves. Why it matters: - Spiral of Life shows how traditional craft can compete in contemporary design awards when it pairs heritage technique with a clear conceptual framework. - The win underscores rising interest in tableware that combines function, symbolism, and nature-inspired form. - The award may also strengthen the case for biomathematics as a design language in kitchenware. What happened: - The A’ Design Award named Spiral of Life by Keiji Ishikawa a Gold winner in the Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design category. - The recognition was announced in June 2026. - Spiral of Life is a double-layered glass tableware collection based on the Fibonacci spiral of the sunflower and made with traditional Japanese Kiriko cut glass technique. - The design page is available here: More information The details: - The Gold A’ Design Award is granted after evaluation by design professionals, industry experts and academics. - Spiral of Life keeps the Fibonacci count through cutting guidelines, while allowing manual adjustment of each cut to maintain a smooth spiral flow. - The collection uses an 8-to-13 spiral ratio for smaller vessels such as sake cups. - The collection uses a 13-to-21 spiral ratio for larger pieces such as wine glasses and rock glasses. - Decorative-base items, including a soba cup, use an 8-to-13 spiral on the bottom for visual coherence. - Each double-layered piece is ground and polished by hand. - The concept came from a collaboration with Ree, a paint dancer who physicalized the Fibonacci sequence through synchronized movement. Between the lines: - The award signals that juries are rewarding work that balances reproducibility with organic expression. - Spiral of Life also reflects a broader push in product design toward objects that feel personal and rooted in cultural identity. - For KJ studio, the win adds outside validation to a studio direction centered on Kiriko glass and original daily-use objects. What’s next: - The award may encourage KJ studio to keep exploring links between mathematics, movement and material. - The recognition could support new work that expands Kiriko techniques into more contemporary forms. - Keiji Ishikawa is likely to keep building on multilayered glasswork and other original household items. The bottom line: - Spiral of Life turns a classical Japanese glass tradition into a mathematically ordered design that earned international recognition.