Madao 3000 Sandblasted Billiard with Bamboo (New)

Madao 3000 is the pipe making moniker of Beijing-based artisan Wang Tieyuan. Inspired equally by post-Scandinavian giants, such as Hiroyuki Tokutomi and by classical Asian art and philosophy, Tieyuan’s work is focused on exploring themes such as asymmetry and motion in ways that are, nonetheless, balanced and harmonious. A strict minimalist, Tieyuan eschews contrast stains and fanciful adornments in his designs; instead, he most often employs simple matte or natural finishes, is sparing with his use of accents (if he uses them at all), and upholds, in each pipe he makes, the primacy of line, figure, and form.

Though he is personally inclined toward the more “freestyle” approach to pipe design, expressed in his asymmetric creations, Madao’s classic renditions, like this one, serve important purposes within his portfolio. Tieyuan is of the opinion that one cannot create novel, freestyle pipes without having a firm grasp on established designs, both traditional and modern. Further still—and on a more philosophical note—he is of the view that asymmetry must be understood in relation to symmetry, thus his classic designs act as counterpoints relative to the other pipes in his portfolio and to the pipes he has yet to make. Finally, his classics are, simply, very popular, in large part because of how expertly executed they are.

In the case of this one, it is a genuine classic in just about every tradition, and a staple that every pipe maker must master before they can move on to more advanced forms: the billiard. More specifically, it is a bamboo-shanked billiard in the vein of both Anglo-French and Scandinavian post-war briars, complete with a featherweight stature, a compact figure, a slightly narrow chamber, and a deep burgundy sandblast finish.

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.70 / 17.78mm

Bowl Depth: 1.61″ / 40.89mm

Weight: 1.0oz / 30g