Text & Photos by Maika / Circles

Have you recently seen a cute blossom curling around cable housing to add character and life to someone’s personalized bicycle? Maika from Circles recently visited the art studio where Twist Flowers are made. Here is her report…

Nestled quietly within a residential area of Tokyo there is a place that exudes a presence that makes you instinctively look towards it. On the red mailbox is a familiar name:

GHOOOST

Inside is the studio of artist Mai Ohara (@casper86) and her partner, illustrator Rintaro Shimoyama. These creators celebrate things made by human hands.

In the era known as the First Industrial Revolution, people achieved mass production of goods and cost reduction through the transformation brought about by mechanization. And now, in the present day, AI and 3D printers have become widespread, and as long as you can operate them, you can create things. Thanks to the development of machinery and information technology, many things are being created in this world every day.

And it is precisely because of this that I feel an immense sense of admiration and respect for things created by human hands and human craftsmanship.

I’ve been seeing more and more people who have humorous and cute Twist Flowers made by GHOOOST blooming on their bicycles. At bicycle event stalls, many people fall in love with this cuteness, and it might not be an exaggeration to say that they are the most eye-catching item, despite their small size. The Twist Flower travels to various places at a speed beyond imagination.

I’ve heard that when you purchase from the online shop, you get a card with an illustration on it, and because of this, many fans repeatedly place orders just to get the card. Of course, this card is also hand-drawn.

Normally, you might think that several designs would be created, and then they would be printed and mass-produced. However, I believe it’s because they value handmade work that they are able to maintain such attention to detail.

Changes in Twist Flower

Not just with machines or information technology, but it is within handmade work that moments of evolution occur. It seems that Twist Flower has also undergone some changes. There is always a trigger for change…

In a vessel known as the ‘Twist Flower Graveyard,’ there are flowers that didn’t make it to the stage of being sold as finished works. Without being discarded carelessly, they are given new life for the next creation.

The central circle, which is the key color of the flower, had fallen off. This had happened with the Twist Flower I was actually wearing. The two artists noticed that the central circle of the flower on my bicycle had perfectly flown off somewhere. It seems that I lost it somewhere during my trip in Hokkaido, where I went river rafting on my bike, circled an island, and later climbed a mountain. This observation led them to change the construction of the Twist Flower. GHOOST decided to give up their trusted adhesive and sew the pieces together instead. By sewing it, Twist Flower became even stronger, making it a delightful upgrade for adventurous riders who want to play as much as possible on their bicycles.

Twist Flower Circles Original

Finally! The Circles Original colors have been made.

On the white wire, flowers in the red and green of Circles’ colors bloom vibrantly.

The focus is on the round petals. As the name ‘Circles’ suggests, we love round things (i.e., circles, edges, and rings), and we hold that very dear. With that in mind, I requested that the petals be made round.

Some people stop by Circles to get Twist Flowers when they come to Nagoya on business. Every time I meet such people, I am, of course, very happy, and I’ve always thought about how wonderful it would be if we could make flowers bloom on bicycles for everyone living in distant places. At last, we are excited to announce that the long-awaited GHOOOST x Circles Twist Flowers are available online!

The flowers will be available in two types: Assorted (random) and Circles Original Colors. Please note that the assorted flowers will be completely random.

GHOOOST Twist Flower
Assorted / Original, each

Please make sure to let flowers bloom on your beloved bicycle too.

Even as information technology advances, handmade work will never fade.

Returning to the earlier topic, I’ve started to hear and read more about articles with phrases like “Can humans beat AI?” or “The world will be overtaken by AI.”

In terms of intelligence, AI is indeed highly advanced. However, I believe it can never surpass work made by human hands. Handmade work, from daily necessities to art, whether it’s beautifully written brush calligraphy, sand art, pottery, or handmade bikes shared on social media by someone, somewhere… it’s all a form of handmade work.

There you’ll discover the creator’s imagination and skill. It is truly made with the soul poured into it, reflecting the human spirit, technique, and body. I believe that the ability to feel this charm is something uniquely human, so I encourage you all to try holding a piece of work born from human hands.