Dear Marcel (or perhaps Cher Marcel would be better) is a tribute to artist Marcel Duchamp, the father of conceptual art. In 1913, Duchamp turned a found fork with a front wheel into an artwork that intellectuals can still weave daring theories about today. Back then, bicycling in France was a cult sport and the more than 5,000 kilometer Tour de France was raced at the average speed of almost 27 kilometers per hour that year. Considering the conditions of the roads at the time as well as the types of racing bicycles, this is truly an admirable physical performance. Not to mention Marcel’s intellectual performance.
The Houdek brothers’ object combines the lapidary construction of the front fork of a bicycle that, over a hundred years ago, attracted Marcel Duchamp, with the captivating glory of gold and cut crystal, highlighted by a light source. This interpretation elevated an originally odd concept into a joyous glassmaking celebration of the genius and (even today essentially generally shared) technical solution for the front fork of a bicycle, as well as today’s technological skill. The artwork is amplified by the simple effect of lighting a glass jewel mounted in the axle of a golden fork.