Ephemeral art

Ephemeral art is a general term for works that exist only for a short period of time and are not intended to be permanently preserved. Their very transience is part of the idea: a work may melt, wilt, crumble, be washed away or consumed, and this fated disappearance becomes a source of its meaning and beauty. Ephemeral art includes performances, happenings, works made from natural or fleeting materials such as ice, sand, flowers, smoke and food, as well as land art gradually undone by nature. Artists turn to ephemerality for many reasons: to resist commercialisation and the reduction of art to a commodity, to emphasise process rather than a finished object, or to reflect on the transience of life and memory. Notable examples include the fragile sculptures of Andy Goldsworthy made from leaves and ice, and the short-lived installations and documented actions of many conceptual artists. Often the only trace left of such a work is a photograph, video or description, which raises questions about the role of documentation in preserving art. Ephemeral art challenges the traditional identification of an artwork's value with its material permanence.