There’s a pop-up gallery in the Lower East Side filled with very expensive glass pipes that should delight drug dealers and rich kids alike, because let’s face it, who else is going to shell out thousands of dollars for a device from which to smoke weed? DNAinfo was first on the scene, but we had to do our very own inspection. Sponsored by online pot paraphernalia specialists 1Percent, Nor’Easter is a temporary exhibit featuring highly adorned smokeware by various glass artists with names such as Coyle, Snic, Danny Camp, and Lig Joe.
There’s no denying that the pipes –some of which are technically bongs — look cool and that glassblowing is an art form that continues to advance, but for me, function is more important that ornamentation, a sentiment not shared by the majority of stoner culture. They like weird shit. The weirder the better. It’s sort of like Fashion Week. Designers don’t expect anyone to wear half the shit that they send down the runway, but there are always more down-to-earth offerings. That’s what this shows feels like.
After all, you have to really be into the Grateful Dead — or just have a lot of off-the-books income — to justify spending $10,800 on this pipe emblazoned with the Steal Your Face logo, which is probably why the space is offering other things to smoke out of for around $60.
(Photos: Aymann Ismail/ANIMALNewYork)
