An electric drill from the late 1950s stands upright on a turned wooden base, its auger rising like a threaded column. The form is precise yet asymmetrical—balanced by the weight of the coiled cord that extends outward, then downward, as if continuing the spiral logic of the auger itself. The composition feels both engineered and composed, suspended between machine and sculpture.
Though designed primarily for utility, the drill embodies a distinctly mid-century sense of aesthetics now largely absent from contemporary tools. The polished chrome housing reflects a time when industrial design expressed both utility and refinement, while the linear motifs on the handle and base reveal a subtle attention to rhythm and proportion. These details harken back to an era when even utilitarian tools were designed for both form and function.
The work stands as a quiet tribute to Marcel Duchamp and his lineage of nonfunctional machines. Like those early readymades, Homage to Marcel recontextualizes an object of purpose into one of contemplation. Power is withheld, motion implied. The unplugged cord and poised auger preserve the paradox that defines the piece: utility transformed into structure, and stillness charged with potential.