Temporary Art: Here and Then Gone

There’s something intriguing about temporary art: from the ancient art of sand mandalas, representing the temporality of the universe, to paper clip sculptures, representing the temporality of office life. So much time put into something that’s here and then simply gone. Temporary art can be made out of almost anything: snow, food, sand, dryer lint. Perhaps its appeal is that we see ourselves in it: we too are temporary art. So much time put into something that’s here and then gone.

(Click on any image to enlarge it, or to start slide show)

About mitchteemley

Writer, Filmmaker, Humorist, Thinker-about-stuffer
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24 Responses to Temporary Art: Here and Then Gone

  1. those are awesome photos. I think i am going to google temporary art and see what else I find. Thanks Mitch!

  2. They’re all amazing. So sad that the elements make them temporary 😀

  3. revruss1220 says:

    Wow! Incredible. This is the way I think of the art of music-making. It is here and beautiful and then instantly gone.

  4. Bette Cox says:

    Fascinating! I want to see how each one was created, however… to me that is the most fascinating part of the art. The concept, the imagination, the determination, the commitment of effort and time, knowing full well the temporary nature of the amazingly beautiful finished work! Wonderful.

  5. Gary Fultz says:

    My favorite temporary art is made out of food!

  6. K McVere LLC says:

    They’re all so gorgeous. I can’t decide which one is my favorite.

  7. Saw a “temporary” artist at the Toastmasters Convention. Took a Stratocaster guitar and broke it into splinters. Then he took those broken pieces and made a composite of Kurt Cobane. Then he destroyed that! https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=Art+by+Phil+Hansen&fr=mcafee&imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Falyssalaperna.files.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fbruce_final-617×347.jpg#id=123&iurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2F1lYrEEXZQNQ%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg&action=click

  8. Marcela says:

    Cool! Loved the dandelions! Amazing!

  9. Heidi Viars says:

    Reminds me a little bit of raising kids … all that beautiful work and time … and then they are gone (sorry about the melancholy… just took a kid to college)

  10. Very cool ❤️

  11. Nancy Ruegg says:

    So glad that temporary art can be preserved on film at least. What fascinating images in this collection! And I think you’ve hit on the perfect explanation of why we’re fascinated with temporary art, Mitch. It subconsciously gives value to US. I’m looking forward to the new, permanent me, when Jesus returns and all believers become like him (1 John 3:2-3). That transformation to perfection will be glorious beyond words, and last forever! Gives me goosebumps.

  12. Yearly, our town tapes off several street blocks and holds chalk art competitions. Some of these artists work through the night by head lamps for days. Their images are incredibly detailed and filled with so much of themselves. We always look forward to going! Our whole town does!

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