Moonlight (Ondřej Bárta)

Moonlight is the name given to the pipes produced by Czech pipe master Ondřej Bárta in his one-person workshop. At a time when contemporary artisan production tends to proceed mainly through classic bowls and surface treatments, Moonlight stands apart with figurative work that turns a recognizable object directly into a pipe.

Recurring Motifs

Several subjects recur again and again in the workshop's catalog. The first is a carving that divides the bowl's surface into overlapping layers; reminiscent of the cross-section of a dried, split-open seed pod, this treatment carries a sense of depth through its hollows. The second is the reinterpretation of narrow-necked vase and bean-bodied classic Italian shapes as a cluster of shellfish clinging to rocks. The third is the group the master calls "Steampunk," referencing the metal and leather fittings of the steam age; the brand's best-known pieces are gathered under this heading. Bárta's range of inspiration is not limited to nature and industry: narratives and symbols from ancient Greece and medieval Europe are also regularly used as subjects.

On the material side, the choice is the same as for most artisans, namely briar and ebonite; what is distinctive is the way this pair is used, at times together with brass fittings and a bamboo shank.