Joe Scanlan Commerce 1 cover

Nesting Bookcase: The First Decade

$16.00

Commerce 1
Nesting Bookcase: The First Decade, 1989-1999
Edited by Neal Jackson
60 pages, perfect bound with 22 b&w illustrations
23 x 18 cm
ISBN 0-9761273-0-X

The inaugural publication by Commerce Books documents the first decade of Joe Scanlan’s Nesting Bookcase, an artwork that has achieved an impressive degree of social dispersion in its first ten years. With an introduction by Anna Lojecs, essays by Michael Newman, David Pagel and Laurie Palmer, and 22 documentary photographs collected from various Nesting Bookcase owners.

From the introduction by inaugural editor Anna Lojecs: “I like how an artwork that began as a rather clumsy singular object, its uneven shelves propped up with pennies, has evolved into a complex and deliberate network of possibilities, a kind of “time piece” whose duration is still playing out in the hands of all persons involved. Most of all, I like that the Nesting Bookcases’ distribution and versatility has created a power struggle that only the forces of commerce can solve. Only the continued play of money, action, scholarship, and word of mouth will determine what the Nesting Bookcase is–if, in fact, it is anything at all. That’s what COMMERCE is all about.

Category:

Nesting Bookcase

Letting the Nesting Bookcase speak for itself isn’t a cliché. It’s a testament to the passion and talent behind everything we do. It means we stand behind our products with research and experience from actual problems we’ve defined, measured, and solved. Therefore, no decision, from strategy and development to design and user experience, is made lightly. And you’ll always see it in our Nesting Bookcase.

We made this design object to provide collectors with the most innovative, creative, and flexible artwork possible. It fosters an atmosphere in which your own creative talent can flourish. We believe that great talent will do great work, so we only sell to collectors who want the opportunity to shine. It’s our guiding philosophy, our promise, and our business model. We:

  • Craft provocative experiences
  • Push beyond the comfort zone
  • Take risks to move things forward
  • Stay away from cookie-cutter solutions

From idea to production to viewing, collaboration is (and always has been) part of our DNA. By exploiting our talents with your savvy in mind, we’re able to produce a Nesting Bookcase that is functional yet elegant. We’re open that way. We know this artwork is probably not the safe choice for most collectors, and we’re 100% fine with that.

For related content see Object Lessons

Here is the most recent iteration

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