Shallows: A Crystal Vase That Defies Perception

Exploring Kazunaga Sakashita's Award-Winning Design

Designing a vase may seem straightforward, but Kazunaga Sakashita's 'Shallows' is far from ordinary. Inspired by the puddles formed on a road after rain and the water-filled glass from his childhood, Sakashita has created a vase that uses the surface tension of water as a key design element. This unique concept began to take shape about a decade ago, when Sakashita found himself reminiscing about his childhood experiences with water.

The 'Shallows' vase is a testament to Sakashita's innovative approach to design. The vase, made of solid crystal, is designed in a way that allows it to hold fluid at the top due to its mortar shape. A cylindrical hole in the center allows a flower to stand independently. The vase can be filled with water to the point where the border becomes fuzzy, creating an illusion that you are seeing only the water column and the flower, as if the vase has disappeared.

Creating this vase was not without its challenges. The upper part of the vase was designed to be cone-shaped to effectively showcase the surface tension of the water. Polishing the hole in the core transparently and the edge of the vase uniformly proved to be the most difficult part of the process. Despite these challenges, Sakashita's dedication to his design vision resulted in a product that is both beautiful and unique.

The 'Shallows' vase was made in Japan and the project spanned from 2012 to 2013. The initial idea was to produce the vase using acrylic fiber, but Sakashita decided against it due to the material's degradation under ultraviolet rays. Instead, he opted for crystal, a material that would enhance the value of water and express simple beauty by making the boundary between the vase and the water ambiguous.

For his innovative design, Sakashita was awarded the Golden A' Furniture Design Award in 2017. This prestigious award is granted to creations that reflect the designer's prodigy and wisdom, embodying extraordinary excellence and significantly impacting the world with their desirable characteristics. The 'Shallows' vase certainly fits this description, as it pushes the boundaries of traditional vase design and offers a fresh perspective on the interaction between water and solid materials.