Cadence of the Spiral Mahi Matua: Whakaurunga Korikori by Yusuke Kamiyama is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Hiriwa in Hoahoa Toi me te Whakaaturanga Toi Competition Category.
HiriwaToi· 2026
Cadence of the Spiral Mahi Matua: Whakaurunga Korikori
Client: Spline Design Hub Inc.
A' Design Award Hiriwa Winner in Toi Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #182460The Design
About Cadence of the Spiral Mahi Matua: Whakaurunga Korikori
Te Tuku o te Tōraparapa e tūhura ana i te wā hei mea kōpīpī, e hāngai ana ki te whanaungatanga, e ora ana. He papa maitai puna parmāhanga kua hangaia hei āhua e huri tonu ana e toru tekau ngā ringa miihini. Ka nekeneke ngā ringa i runga i ngā riipene ātaahua, kua nekehia te wāhanga. I a te tōraparapa e manawa ana, e wiriwiri ana, e whakaraupapa anō ana i a ia anō, kāore he wā e rite ana ki tētahi atu. He mea whakaawe te mahi e te puna matua o tētahi mataaratanga miihini. Ka whakamāoritia anōtia e ia te maitai whakapōrara hei ipu mō te pūngao kua rongoatia me te rerenga o te wā. Kāore te korikori e tukurua. Engari, ka whakaaturia te panonitanga mā te rerekētanga whakahaere. Kāore te wā e inea, engari ka rongohia.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award Hiriwa
Ko Cadence of the Spiral Mahi Matua: Whakaurunga Korikori te toa o te A' Design Award Hiriwa, he whakaaetanga tino whai mana e hoatu ana ki ngā hoahoa taumata teitei rawa, ātaahua me te whakamīharo. Ko ngā toa Hiriwa he mahi tino kanapa, tino auaha e whakaatu ana i te mātanga, te pūmanawa me te mōhio hōhonu o ā rātou kaihoahoa. E tūmanakohia ana ko Cadence of the Spiral Mahi Matua: Whakaurunga Korikori he mahi whakamīharo, he tauira, he tino ngaio, he auaha hōhonu. Ko tēnei hoahoa i toa i te Hiriwa he hanganga rongonui, whakamīharotia e whai wāhi ana ki te whakawhānui i ngā rohe o te toi, te pūtaiao, te hoahoa me te hangarau. Ko Cadence of the Spiral Mahi Matua: Whakaurunga Korikori he mahi e hae ana te tini, e whakaara ana i ngā hiahia, e kawe mai ana i ngā kare-ā-roto pai, ā, e whakaoho ana i te mīharo.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- A long stainless-steel spiral is dynamically deformed by independently actuated arms, generating continuous reorganization through tension and release. Unlike static sculpture, the form never settles; it is constantly restructured into shifting orders. The spiral functions as a physical model of time—elastic, unstable, and relational. Controlled irregularity replaces mechanical uniformity, allowing viewers to perceive time not as measurement, but as a living and evolving order.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Material: Blast-finished stainless spring steel (0.3 mm thickness, 80 mm width)
Spiral pitch: 100 mm
Number of turns: 10
Control: PC-based control system
Installation footprint: Approx. 2000 mm × 2000 mm × 2000 mm
Power: AC 100–240 V - Tags
- Kinetic art, Spiral structure, Time perception, Mechanical rhythm, Parametric design, Stainless steel sculpture, Dynamic installation, Temporal form
- Production Technology
- A custom-fabricated stainless-steel spiral plate forms the core structure, paired with a bespoke linear actuation system developed for this work. Most mechanical components—including joints, mounts, and structural interfaces—were custom-designed to enable precise distributed deformation. Motion is coordinated through a PC-based control architecture enabling synchronized, phase-shifted oscillations. Parametric modeling and simulation optimized stress distribution and torsional balance.
- Design Challenge
- The primary challenge was balancing structural stability with expressive flexibility. The spiral required sufficient rigidity to maintain form, yet enough elasticity to allow dynamic deformation. Managing distributed mechanical stress while achieving organic motion demanded extensive iteration. Technological constraints of synchronized actuation and material fatigue also required innovative solutions to preserve both safety and poetic integrity.
- Research
- This practice-based design research explores time as a spatial and kinetic phenomenon. Through iterative prototyping combining mechanical engineering and artistic experimentation, parametric modeling, structural simulation, and motion analysis were employed. Audience observation during exhibitions informed the study. The research identified perceptual shifts generated by micro-irregular motion, demonstrating how controlled instability enhances emotional engagement and contributes to contemporary kinetic art and experiential design.
- Inspiration
- Inspired by the mainspring of a mechanical watch, Cadence of the Spiral reconsiders the spiral beyond its functional role. The tightly wound strip of metal appeared as a vessel containing latent energy and rhythm of time itself. When gently lifted, it responded with subtle motion, as if about to begin a heartbeat. The spiral thus emerged not as an object, but as a physical manifestation of invisible time—an embodiment of tension and release within temporal experience.
- Project Duration
- The project began in Tokyo in March 2025 and was completed in November 2025. Prototyping and structural validation were conducted in Tokyo. Developed in collaboration with Seiko Watch Corporation to explore the cultural and mechanical heritage of horology, the work was exhibited in Japan and is currently being prepared for international presentation.
- Operation Flow
- The spiral slowly shifts between tension and release. As the supporting arms extend and retract, the form breathes, twists, and reorganizes itself. There is no fixed choreography; instead, subtle variations create moments of alignment and misalignment. Viewers experience a continuous transformation—sometimes synchronized, sometimes slightly off—evoking the sensation of time that never fully repeats yet always returns.
- Patents
- Copyrights belong to Spline Design Hub Inc., 2025.
- Team Members
- Yusuke Kamiyama
Shin Sakamoto
Kaku Murayama
Fumiya Nakano - Image Credits
- IMAGE CREDITS: Daisuke Ohki
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