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La Biota: Difference between revisions
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In Italian and in English, ‘biota’ is an ecological term, designating the complex of flora and fauna in a particular habitat. In the Lombard dialect, “la Biota” also roughly translates to “the naked.” Both of these senses were in mind when Sottocasa baptized la Biota, and both remain central themes in the production of la Biota pipes. On the one hand, Sottocasa approaches pipes as being an object that intimates the connection between humans and nature, much in the way that the various flora and fauna of an ecosystem are bound together as a condition of their flourishing. Nature is a prominent theme more broadly in la Biota pipes, as Sottocasa finds much of the inspiration for his designs from frequent mountain walks in Italy’s northern region. Diego Morlin, renowned author of books such as ''La Pipa: I migliori marchi italiani'' and ''Io sono Baldo Baldi'', writes:<blockquote>“In line with the thought that ‘nature is the true artist and man can only interpret it’ stands the concept with which Michele [Sottocasa] demonstrates all his excellent skill, which distinguishes him from other pipe manufacturers. Michele is a master, he plays with nature and like a child he manipulates different objects composing them in a harmony that only he is able to find. This type of pipe is his signature.”</blockquote> | In Italian and in English, ‘biota’ is an ecological term, designating the complex of flora and fauna in a particular habitat. In the Lombard dialect, “la Biota” also roughly translates to “the naked.” Both of these senses were in mind when Sottocasa baptized la Biota, and both remain central themes in the production of la Biota pipes. On the one hand, Sottocasa approaches pipes as being an object that intimates the connection between humans and nature, much in the way that the various flora and fauna of an ecosystem are bound together as a condition of their flourishing. Nature is a prominent theme more broadly in la Biota pipes, as Sottocasa finds much of the inspiration for his designs from frequent mountain walks in Italy’s northern region. Diego Morlin, renowned author of books such as ''La Pipa: I migliori marchi italiani'' and ''Io sono Baldo Baldi'', writes:<blockquote>“In line with the thought that ‘nature is the true artist and man can only interpret it’ stands the concept with which Michele [Sottocasa] demonstrates all his excellent skill, which distinguishes him from other pipe manufacturers. Michele is a master, he plays with nature and like a child he manipulates different objects composing them in a harmony that only he is able to find. This type of pipe is his signature.”</blockquote> | ||
[[File:LaBiota Horn.jpg|thumb|A la Biota cavalier of sorts, fashioned using a deer antler for its main body. Image courtesy PipesArt.com.]] | [[File:LaBiota Horn.jpg|thumb|A la Biota cavalier of sorts, fashioned using a deer antler for its main body. Image courtesy PipesArt.com.|alt=|left]] | ||
The second sense of “la Biota,” that of nakedness, is perhaps more subtly realized in Sottocasa’s work. He speaks somewhat cryptically on the matter, stating,<blockquote>“the pipe cannot hide secrets but must be absolute truth. That is, it must be an object capable of saying everything, without the need for intermediaries.”</blockquote> | The second sense of “la Biota,” that of nakedness, is perhaps more subtly realized in Sottocasa’s work. He speaks somewhat cryptically on the matter, stating,<blockquote>“the pipe cannot hide secrets but must be absolute truth. That is, it must be an object capable of saying everything, without the need for intermediaries.”</blockquote> | ||
[[File: | [[File:La biota poker Ukraine auction.png|alt=|thumb|A poker-style la Biota made for the 2022 Ukraine Charity Pipes auction organized by Nanna Ivarsson and Per Billhäll. Image courtesy Scandpipes.com.]] | ||
Given that Sottocasa also characterizes his work as eschewing “recurring typologies,” we may infer that these remarks refer to an ideal of univocity in la Biota pipes. In other words, Sottocasa’s view is that pipe makers should strive to create unique works that resist attempts to interpret them by way of something else – another pipe, a shape, or a particular school or tradition, for example. While Sottocasa speaks of his explorations of the Danish style and of a role played by more classical references in his designs, he qualifies this by stating that each pipe should maintain “its own definition”. With this in mind, Sottocasa does not use a lathe, opting instead to shape each pipe by hand. | Given that Sottocasa also characterizes his work as eschewing “recurring typologies,” we may infer that these remarks refer to an ideal of univocity in la Biota pipes. In other words, Sottocasa’s view is that pipe makers should strive to create unique works that resist attempts to interpret them by way of something else – another pipe, a shape, or a particular school or tradition, for example. While Sottocasa speaks of his explorations of the Danish style and of a role played by more classical references in his designs, he qualifies this by stating that each pipe should maintain “its own definition”. With this in mind, Sottocasa does not use a lathe, opting instead to shape each pipe by hand. | ||
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<gallery widths="300" heights="300" perrow="3"> | <gallery widths="300" heights="300" perrow="3"> | ||
File:LaBiota-Smooth.jpg | File:LaBiota-Smooth.jpg | ||
File:La biota olivewood.jpg | |||
File:LaBiota-SmoothFreehand.jpg | File:LaBiota-SmoothFreehand.jpg | ||
File:La biota lepipeit2.jpg | |||
File:LaBiota-BlastedPickAxe.jpg | File:LaBiota-BlastedPickAxe.jpg | ||
File:La biota lepipeit3.jpg | |||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||