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From Transylvania

Rolando Negoita's appeal is to the pipester with enough self-confidence to smoke something very different. His growing success with collectors shows that this niche may have been under-occupied before his arrival on the scene. Born in Romania, Rolando's passion for pipe making was sparked in the bad old days of dictatorship. Pipes were unavailable on the market, so he took to carving his own.

A graduate of the Romanian Academy of Fine Arts in Bucharest, Negoita currently has his own design studio, besides teaching at Parsons School of Design in New York. In this interview, he takes issue with the 'one size fits all' concept of shape design.

For many collectors, your pipes are works of art - yet you use the word 'design' yourself. Don't you view yourself as an artist?

RN: To me, art applies only to the fine arts, music, theatre, film, etc. Art through its fundamental definition does not apply to functional objects. The fact that I've studied fine arts does not automatically place me on the artist pedestal. It is a long way, and only a few make it.

To create functional objects implies a design process. It is the form-function equation that has to be taken into consideration, whether we are talking about a piece of furniture, a knife, or a pipe. The term 'artist' is overused. I consider myself a maker.

It's hard to see who might have influenced your work - is there anyone inside or outside the pipe world?

RN: My shapes are inevitably an echo of all my visual and aesthetic education, of everything I have seen, looked at, and thought about. From seashells and natural shapes to industrial forms, I find an endless source of inspiration. I find it redundant and somehow restraining to make pipes that are inspired by other pipes. But I definitely have a lot of admiration for many pipe carvers, and I am certainly looking to embodying the quality standards they have set.

How do ergonomics rank with you? Are they clearly less important than shape, as some have suspected you of thinking?

RN: Form follows function. I consider all my pipes to be ergonomically shaped. The dispute would be similar to asking whether a sneaker is more ergonomic than a stiletto sandal - they're both meant to be walked in, but in different circumstances. A pipe, in my view, should be a suitable companion for various moments in which we enjoy smoking it. The shape, size and weight of a pipe have to accommodate the given moment ergonomically. My work and driving pipes are light and small simple shapes, pipes to be held in your mouth. Reading pipes - as well as pipes for special moments, or conversational pipes - are meant to be held in your hand, to give an enjoyable and subtle, tactile feeling. Among all the categories of pipes I make, there is room for a category you might call 'pipes to-talk-about'. Some people might consider them unsmokable because they don't conform to the most traditional shapes. But I accept and enjoy that as a way to object to the 'one size fits all' concept.

Another provocative question: You don't come across as a grain fetishist. Do you feel that grain is an overrated criterion for pipes?

RN: Straight grain is nice, especially if it is well integrated. But sometimes it can be really boring, reminding me of fine furniture. I am personally more excited about the wild grain that shows the struggle of the wood growing in a harsh climate, a grain that tells stories.

How do you plan to extend your market from the US to the rest of the world, especially to your home continent of Europe?

RN: I have no special strategies. While the pipe-making seed was planted here in the US, I am now turning my attention to understanding the European market better. The great feedback I have from my European collectors has drawn me into planning to come to pipe events and personally meet with the pipe smoking community there. I will be at the Cuxhaven show in August.

Currently, your work is chiefly available on your website. Do you plan to involve more dealers in future?

RN: The making process influences my business approach in many ways.

The process of making has a tremendous importance for me. It is more important than the product itself. The making of a single pipe may stretch over long periods of time - months, or even years. It took me one year and a half to finish the coiled pipe I have on my main web page right now. The actual carving process mainly consists of using simple tools such as files and sanding sticks. I am not a fan of lathe turning. This slows down the process and I can only do a very limited number of pipes. I definitely look forward to somehow fitting in more dealers' involvement in the future, if it does not require a prescribed production schedule.

http://www.atelierrolando.com/

(March 4, 2004)

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