Bickel stood with the detritus of the initial Ox installation around him - dangling leads, meters, neuron blocks - all stacked precariously away from the computer wall.

Two petite round tarts, stacked precariously on top of one another, sported zesty lemon flavor, foamy meringue covers and flaky coconut macaroon crusts.

The kitchen was a shambles, dishes stacked precariously on the counters.

All the while, Mr. Watts, the bassist Eric Revis and the pianist Kenny Kirkland collaborated on rhythms that stacked precariously, bled into each other and changed at regular intervals.

Assi's sharply defined portraits of still impression elongated and often melancholic figures of young men and women call for attention alongside her cluttered cityscapes that are crammed with wires, television antennas and buildings stacked precariously on top of one another.

Dr. Smithies was famously messy, with piles of paper stacked precariously on his desk.

Anselm Kiefer's 2005 sculpture "XXI Claudia Quinta," made of lead books stacked precariously and topped with a model ship and human hair, was bought by James Cohan, the Manhattan dealer, for $340,800, far above its high estimate of $300,000.

Called "Drums of War," it consists of seven oil drums, stacked precariously and painted to look like American Indian musical instruments.

Not counting the ones being carried by the vendors and the shoppers, stacked precariously in makeshift displays, arrayed on their blankets, piled one upon the other.