Library of Obsolescence
For nearly two decades, I have photographed books in libraries. They aren’t touched, artificially lit or manipulated. Bound by a librarian, found in the stacks, they are documented as left by the last reader. In libraries worldwide, these volumes are being deaccessioned, making them a rarity in the physical world.
Included in my NFT Genesis collection are seven iconic magazine titles of the 20th century, creating an assembly of cultural archives lost – EBONY, LIFE, LOOK, MONEY, NATURE, TIME, VOGUE. Each NFT is part of a triptych of the same title, and collectively all three create a set that will be brought together and disbursed along the blockchain, referencing their movement in the physical world.
The Library of Obsolescence presents a shift in cultural values; the spines are mantras of particular moments in our history and take on new meaning as repositories for the future.
Collect on OpenSea
Number of works: 21
Available on primary: 4
Floor price: 0.321 ETH
TIME #1 (sold)
TIME #2 (sold)
TIME #3 (sold)
LIFE #1 (0.321 ETH)
LIFE #2 (sold)
LIFE #3 (sold)
MONEY #1 (sold)
MONEY #2 (sold)
MONEY #3 (0.321 ETH)
VOGUE #1 (sold)
VOGUE #2 (sold)
VOGUE #3 (0.321 ETH)
NATURE #1 (sold)
NATURE #2 (sold)
NATURE #3 (0.321 ETH)
EBONY #1 (Acquired by RAW DAO)
EBONY #2 (Acquired by RAW DAO)
EBONY #3 (Acquired by RAW DAO)
LOOK #1 (Acquired by RAW DAO)
LOOK #2 (Acquired by RAW DAO)
LOOK #3 (Acquired by RAW DAO)
“Mickey Smith is a documentary photographer so she never alters or moves the books, but she does look hard. Very hard. Her extraordinary framing, keen sense of irony, and, above all, careful eye for detail and implication make these pictures sizzle.”
— Bill Shapiro, Former editor of LIFE magazine