Z Boys and Pipe Boys

I just watched “Dogtown and Z Boys” and was struck by what I see as a strong similarity between the outlaw skaters of the 70’s whose innovations led to what is now thought of as modern skateboarding, and flameworkers of the pipe genre, whose innovations and contemporary approach are changing the future of flameworked glass art. Skateboarders of the 70’s and Flameworkers of the 00’s share a number of striking similarities which, having lived during and witnessed both firsthand, I feel compelled to describe. If you have not seen this superbly produced movie, I advise you to check it out. I think many of you may find the similarities I saw to be as remarkable and revealing as I did.

In 1970, surfing was already established as a respectable sport. True, there were many not-so-socially-acceptable connotations connected with it, but for the most part, surfing had been pretty much incorporated into mainstream

America

as part of our cultural landscape. Not so its poor cousin skateboarding. Skaters were thought of as either a bunch of kids pursuing a fad like hoola-hoops and yo-yos or punk trouble makers on their way to the penitentiary. In turn, the skaters themselves, forced into a kind of social exile, shared and even embraced this image of themselves. This outlaw mentality, while it did nothing to promote the general acceptance of skateboarding, did create an attitude among skaters that they could do anything they wanted, and there was no one who had the right to tell them that what they did was wrong or invalid in any way. In a very real sense, they created their own validity, exclusive of the rest of society, and along with it their own sense of values and aesthetics. Sound familiar?

This parallel is not without precedent. Music has undergone a very similar developmental process, as has painting and even writing. American glassblowers of the mid-to-late sixties also developed in very similar fashion. They started with the kind of pure naivety required for the utter fearlessness that is needed to break new ground and slowly evolved over time to develop the skills and techniques required for greater sophistication. By 1990, glassblowing was pretty much established as a respectable art medium and was generally accepted by mainstream

America

as part of our cultural landscape. Not so for its poor cousin flameworking. Flameworkers were still generally thought of as carnival glass makers of ships and swans and Disney knick-knacks. A few of them took the medium to artistic heights and gradually the glass art community gave them some grudging recognition. The recognition grew gradually to the point where flameworking was no longer thought of as a medium strictly for cheesy knick-knacks but as a legitimate art medium.

This recognition was limited to a very few innovators who worked stubbornly to become artists and who jealously guarded their new status against newcomers. But they were unwittingly limited by their own lack of vision. Something was still missing. The vision fell short of what we all dreamed was possible and we could not figure out why. It turns out that what was missing is what is central to any revolution: controversy, real public outrage. More than mere denunciation and rejection from the established professionals in the medium as well as society as a whole, we needed a new, youthful, brash approach that would upset everyone and set the entire community on its ear, forcing everyone to re-define what flameworking was and could be. I think that element has now arrived, and it has come from an unlikely source: the glass pipe.

Ironically, I believe it is the illegality of some popular smoking substances that is the most significant factor in the development of glass pipe making. The outlaw mentality required to be a part of this counter-culture is central to the evolution of the medium. Pipe makers create their products, evolve new techniques, and generate new markets for their work completely separate from the existing accepted culture of glass art, and even of society in general. They tend to bemoan their lack of acceptance, but I maintain that this cultural rejection is their greatest asset and that it is to be celebrated rather than cured. As with the illegal substance itself, the societal rejection ends up being the single most influential factor in perpetuating it. Homogenization within society signals the end of a revolution. With cultural acceptance comes commercialization and with that goes true innovation. It is of course, inevitable that this will happen eventually, but pipemakers should drag their feet. They will miss these days when they are gone.

I must admit that it is with great envy that I regard the current evolution of flameworking in the new century. I wish I were young again. I long for the warm cloak of naivety I wore like a king in my 20’s that I see so many young flameworkers wearing again today. I want to stand again at the edge of the empty swimming pool, staring down into the pit, seeing a potential that no one has ever seen before, not having any idea of what I will do or why I will do it or even caring what happens when I do it… and then, with no attachment to the outcome, to step off into the abyss.

Rent the movie. You will see what I mean.

Robert A. Mickelsen