Thursday 10 December 2015 0 comments

The Philosopher's Muse...

Who am I?
Where did I come from?
And where am I going?
These kind of existential questions belie the root of all philosophical thinking. The answers to each one however is not always simple and is unique to every individual who must arrive at his answer through deep reflection and profound thought.
William Thackeray, a noted literary and intellectual of his time wrote of the smoking pipe, “the pipe draws wisdom from the lips of the philosopher and shuts up the mouth of the foolish, it generates a style of conversation, contemplative, thoughtful, benevolent and unaffected.”
And Even Albert Einstein resonated the thought saying "I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment in all human affairs,"
What both were implying was the pipe man is the reflective and thinking man. There is no doubt in my mind that the general consensus would agree with this imagery and when we conjure up the
image of a smoking pipe, your mind is instantly flooded with images of a scholar in his 50’s brooding in his study, contemplating the complexities of existentialism, drawing on wisdom from his pipe, Sherlock Holmes, or grandfather.
The question as to whether this imagery is factual and if sucking on a smoking pipe implies the user to be a rugged man of idyllic epoch is unimportant. At least not to Morountodun Obaigbo, the new age African Contemporary creative aesthetic product Designer who recently pre-launched her creative design platform. Her debut project explores the art of pipe making, using materials such as brass, gold, briar wood and acrylic.
She reveals that after studying some African aesthetic smoking pipes at the popular Jakande market, she began to consider the endless possibilities in making a smoking pipe and despite the prevalent anti-smoking sentiment, the smoking pipe making remains as a form of art.
Her smoking pipe collection is designed, looking at Contemporary African motif with stunning visual appeal. She believes there is a gentle charisma associated with a pipe smoker and there is little
difference in tobacco use and marijuana use as it relates to the smoking pipe. The smoking pipe is multi-functional and transcends beyond recreational drug use to a personal accessory which for both the connoisseur and the beginner might be a reflection of the eclectic tastes of the owner himself.
As an art enthusiast or lover of alternate or Afrocentrism, news of this exhibition should appeal to you. The launch of www.morountodunobaigbo.com is set for the beginning of 2016. It launches as an open exhibition, and welcomes other African Alternative Contemporary artists, poets, creative
designers, indie musicians, instrumentalists or photographers who would like to be part of the exhibition to contact uyi and someone else to be a part with other alternate artists and promises to be an evening of intellectual stimulation. You may subscribe to the newsletter or follow on social media to be part of the countdown. Follow on twitter...

 
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