This month we invited artists to submit work on the theme “Ephemeral Art.” This theme celebrates the beauty of the temporary, the fleeting, and the impermanent. From art made with natural elements to performances that vanish in the moment, to writing that captures transient emotions—“Ephemeral Art” explores creations that exist only briefly but leave lasting impressions. Ephemeral art is a form of expression intended to be short-lived and transient. The term “ephemeral” refers to something transitory or short-lived. Ephemeral art is meant to be experienced at the moment and exists only in memory once it has passed. We hope you enjoy the beautiful and thoughtful work that was captured by the artists.
Artist: Kit Martin
https://kitmartinphoto.co.uk
Lichen I. Size: 9x6cm. Description: Anthotype of lichen on watercolour paper coated with a spinach emulsion. The image is not fixed and, if exposed to UV light, will fade away. This exposure took 4 hours in summer 2024.
Artist: Kathy Bruce
kathybruceartist.com
The Three Fates
Size: 3 figures approx. 3 mm high each. Description: These 3 monumental site-specific female figures represent the goddesses in Greek mythology “Morrai” who are weavers (Sisters) spinning the destinies of life and celebrating the embodiment of Women in Nature. This sculpture installation consists of three female figures built on site by the artist at The Walled Garden of the Royal Botanic Garden at Benmore, Argyll and Bute over 4 months in 2024. Made of completely sustainable materials, the bamboo and willow were sourced from Strachur and The Walled Garden, Ardentinny and were then transported to the site location at Benmore. Recent winter storms have since knocked down all 3 sculptures that are currently stored indoors for the winter and will be repaired and re-installed in the Spring. *NOTE: My environmental sculpture installations have a temporary lifespan to reflect the natural life cycle of seasonal growth within the environmental ecosystem. I construct them to withstand the elements for several years and they eventually bio-degrade back into the earth, along the way providing sanctuary to birds, or becoming compost material.
Artist: Ana Petrović
https://ana-petrovic.com/cutting/
Cutting. Size: 02’10” in loop, HD. Description: In the video “Cutting” the author is throwing a ball in a perpetual motion, always hitting the edge of the frame every single time, making the edge of the frame a psychological wall that could be crossed but never is. In her work, Ana Petrović decomposes the layers of photography and moving images, avoiding the narrative and documentary nature of the media to make visible the reading of the image as a borderline, liquid state in a permanent conflict between the possible and the impossible.
Artist: Kees Ouwens
https://keesouwens.wordpress.com
Expectation. Size: 3.5-3.5-3 m. Description: Made on site at the volcano Paricutin in Mexico.
Artist: Yixue Yang
http://www.yixue-yang.com/
The Void. Size: Any Dimensions. Description: Hair is a tangible link to our genetic heritage, embodying the DNA passed down from our ancestors. Yixue Yang views the strands of her hair as a manifestation of impermanence, embodying the transient nature of existence. By scanning her hair and printing the images on glass, she creates an ethereal vision of hair suspended in the air, representing a fleeting yet pure state of being. In Chinese culture, hair is believed to hold the human soul. The glass box in Yixue’s work functions as a vessel for this soul, preserving the essence of life in a moment of stillness. The shadows cast by the hair add another ephemeral layer, forming a visual narrative of generations intertwining and fading into one another. These shadows, like memories, are transient, quietly reflecting the delicate balance between presence and impermanence.
Artist: Liz McGowan
@lizmcgowanart
lizmcgowan.com
Sea Heart. Size: 8 x 5 M approximately. Description: Commissioned by the National Trust when they joined the Climate Coalition, made with colleagues and friends on Brancaster Beach. The sea becomes the blood of the heart.
Artist: Issie Martin
https://www.issiemartin.com
Futile Acts: The Chalk Bucket. Moving Image, 7 minutes 31 seconds. Description: 'Futile Acts: The Chalk Bucket' is the first of a series of satirical acts in the face of a changing climate. This work documents a journey and performance to save the land and stop the flooding. The fragile site-specific material was, obviously, ineffective and led to the return of The Chalk Bucket to the ocean - highlighting the ephemerality of both the material and our ecological stability.
Artist: Olana Light
https://www.olanalight.com
Searching for a Place to Belong D. Size. 59.4 cm × 84.1 cm. Description: 'Searching for a Place to Belong" is an ongoing photography project, examining women’s relationship with nature, the environment, and what it means to be part of nature. It features a series of self-portraits depicted through wearable sculptures made from natural materials. Inspired by the landscape and its elements, the project reflects the deep influence of surroundings on identity and belonging. These creations are then captured and preserved through photography, providing a visual journey into the intricate bond between women, nature, and their quest for belonging. My ongoing exploration of finding a sense of belonging and discovering my place in the world leads me to realize that we women are an integral part of nature. This idea of unity with nature is central to my work.Through the process of creating these works, I not only wear a sculptural work but fully embody and inhabit alternate personas, blurring the boundaries between self and surroundings. For me, nature serves as more than just a backdrop; it's a realm of profound emotional connection, akin to a spiritual haven where I feel most alive. Yet, simultaneously, I recognize the inherent vulnerability and fragility of nature, underscoring the importance of preserving and cherishing these delicate ecosystems. I aim to explore the intrinsic connection between nature and women, highlighting our fundamental integration within the natural world. I seek to convey the message that everything in existence is interconnected, and as humans, it is our responsibility to care for nature and our planet.
Artist: Jane Scobie
www.janescobie.com
Deposition Circle (2024) Jane Scobie. Size 3 m x 3m. Description: Circle composed of strandline material and bricks made from sand using a loaf tin. In North Norfolk, human interventions such as sea walls and defences attempt to impose stability on this ever-changing landscape. These structures reflect our resistance to change, even as coastal species thrive in flux. The birds and filter feeders along the strandline adapt to constant transformation, while we struggle to manage the unpredictability of these shifting ecosystems.
Artist: Marina Eng
https://marinaeng.net
We will meet in the trash can. Size. 30x24 inch. Description: In this still life, I captured the dried hydrangeas, leaves, and wrapping paper from a bouquet I was given. For just a few days, they were a bright symbol of love, but now they’ve withered and dried, and in a month, they’ll turn to dust in a landfill. Yet they are still beautiful! Once bringing me joy, they will remain forever unfading in my memory.
Artist: Iza Nez
https://www.izanez.art/
A Pocket of Time. Size: 37 x 14 x 9 cm. Description: A Pocket of Time is made out of dandelions. The sculpture is fragile and prone to collapsing on itself. I am interested in how we experience time. In my art practice, I embrace 'time wasting' as a considered and deliberate process in an attempt to alter the experience of time. This is reflected in my work, which can take a long time to make, yet is mostly not intended to last. The time spent making is a central element to my practice. The resulting works are an embodiment of my interaction with a material and a record of the time that went into making the work.
Artist: Philip Vaughan-Williams
Little White Boats. Size. Variable (100 component parts). Description. 'Little White Boats' is an ephemeral installation,. lasting for a short time, however has had a number of incarnations along the UK coastline through 2024. A response to the political climate regarding immigration, 'Little White Boats' has manifested on the shoreline, the land and the sea being integral components of the work.
Artist: Allie Joy
www.alliejoy.co.uk
The Three Worlds. Size: 1200x1600. Description: The final outcome of the Baroque Blue residency was a mixed media installation featuring a partially buried paper map, over which a collection of objects was suspended. These objects, previously used in Ritual 1, cast dancing shadows onto the map below.
Artist: Lisa McEleny
https://lisamceleny.wixsite.com/lisamceleny
Ephemeral Bodies No 1. Size. 90cm x 90cm. Description: My 'Patchwork' wall hanging was grown from wheatgrass and is entirely made of wheatgrass root. To construct, plaster panels were carved with patterns representing feminine ageing e.g osteoporosis. Through a nurturing, symbiotic relationship with nature, wheatgrass seeds were grown onto the moulds allowing their roots to naturally follow the carved patterns intertwining and ultimately forming a solid mat of natural fibres. The roots were further manipulated to knit themselves together to form one large patchwork piece, referencing traditionally feminine pastimes of sewing and knitting. This fragile piece slowly and naturally degrades over time, returning to the earth to leave behind just a memory.
Artist: Anton Hecht
antonhecht.wordpress.com
Urban Maypole. Size. Dependent on object. Description. Its a maypole that is created by putting the crown of the maypole around a piece of street furniture. Then it is activitated by those around. They take a strand and with musical accompaniment they dance around the object. Then it is removed and over. So it only exists for short bursts.
Artist: Gary Dawes
www.dawesy.org
Danger of death. Size. 6ft x 6ft. Description, Made from organic wild bird seed.
Artist: Jean Stockwell
jeanstockwell.weebly.com
Sentry. Size. 180x80cm. Description. Moss Coat Moss sewn onto hessian coat. In situ at The Crypt, St Pancras Church, Euston.
Artist: Maja Spasova
majaspasova.com
BED & BREAKFAST, Dakar 2006. Size. 30 x 2 x 1 m in front of the Parliament. Description, 10 beds, each with 90 kg bread-dough, duration one day. The bread-dough grows and changes shape under the heat of the sun, it fills the surface of the beds and slowly overflows the edges, creating amorphic forms on the ground. BED @ BREAKFAST was part of Dak'Art Biennial and had support from IASPIS, Sweden and Swedish Embassy Dakar.
Artist: Phil Barton
https://philbartonartist.c4cp.net/
Remember Nature, Kynance Cove. Size. 40 x 48 cms. Description. This work is based on a series of eight photographs taken by the artist at approximately one second intervals at Kynance Cove, Cornwall where he had inscribed REMEMBER NATURE on the beach using a found child's green plastic rake. It is part of a wider project, inspired by the late Gustav Metzger who, on 4th November 2015, called on all artists to “follow the path of ethics into aesthetics” and to Remember Nature. Every two years since 2017 the artist has organised participative Days of Action to Remember Nature on 4th November – in Salford, Kings Cross, Launceston and Rossendale. The website link given takes you to this project. 7 seconds is an interesting time-frame in terms of human relationships with nature in the Anthropocene and can be contrasted with deep time or geological time in which nature has previously evolved. Currently, for example, 2.2 tons of plastic are estimated to be dumped into the oceans and 7,550 tonnes of CO2 released into the atmosphere by humanity every 7 seconds. It takes this long to slaughter a pig or for a sawn tree to fall in the forest. Whilst each individual 7 second action may not have significant impact, repetition at scale has disastrous consequences and it will rely on deep timescales to repair the damage. In this way, what appears ephemeral may have incalculable consequences...
Artist: Paul Matosic
https://www.instagram.com/matosicpaul/
Inner Light
Size. Big. Description. Reclaimed polystyrene packaging (use one and chuck away) combined with various light sources.
Artist: Nikki Davidson-Bowman
https://www.nikkidavidsonbowman.com/
My imperfections. Size. 40 x 40 x 25. Description: Tiny pinecones gathered and arranged in an almost spiral on an uneven cut tree trunk stump- created while a light wind blew - giving nature and the elements the upper hand. The angle of the stump, the wind and my rush to capture the moment make the results unpredictable. This image of the performance and my ridiculous need to stay in control are all that remains of this fleeting moment.