Elan Vital: A Symphony of Glass Artistry

Keiji Ishikawa's Award-Winning Glass Tableware Design

The Elan Vital collection stands out due to its dynamic design, reminiscent of vivid polka dots, splashes, or a large school of fish spinning in the water. This dynamism is achieved by regularly arranging the motifs of matching cups, symbolizing fun encounters. When viewed from different angles, the eye-shaped patterns that make up the motif of the inner cup shine through or reflect in various ways, evoking a sense of life's dynamism and offering a healing and happiness-filled experience to the user.

Elan Vital's unique properties are a result of meticulous craftsmanship. Each piece of double-layered glassware is carefully ground and polished by hand using Japanese Kiriko cut glass technology. The eye-shaped pattern, a wide-angle V-cut, changes and shines through when viewed from the side, while reflecting and sparkling in various ways when viewed from the top. Despite the intricate design, the glassware is smooth to the touch and shock-resistant, thanks to the shallow depth of the eye-shaped pattern cut.

The collection includes multiple types of glassware, such as wine glasses, sake cups, plates, and rock glasses. The dimensions of these products vary, with the wine glass being 58mm in diameter and 150mm in height, the sake cup being 60mm in diameter and 60mm in height, and the rock glass being 77mm in diameter and 92mm in height. The plate measures 150mm in diameter and 33mm in height.

The design process of Elan Vital, which started in March 2022 in Tokushima, Japan, and finished in August 2022, was not without challenges. The creation of the eye-shaped pattern required a specially ordered V-shaped wide-angle grinding wheel and the skill to make precise horizontal cuts in the lower part of the glass where the cut points were difficult to see. However, with practice and precision, these challenges were successfully overcome.

Elan Vital is currently applying for design registration and is expected to receive copyright in registered designs in December 2022 in Japan. The collection has already garnered recognition, winning the Silver A' Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design Award in 2023. This award is given to designs that exhibit outstanding expertise and innovation, technical excellence, and artistic skill.

In conclusion, Elan Vital is a testament to Keiji Ishikawa's mastery of the Japanese Kiriko cut glass technique and his ability to infuse modern design elements into traditional crafts. The collection, with its dynamic design and meticulous craftsmanship, not only enriches the aesthetic appeal of tableware but also enhances the joy of human connections.