Andy Goldsworthy

For my leaf transfer project I was inspired by Andy Goldsworthy's ephemeral sculptures. He too uses photographs to document his work. Their connection to place is as important as the art itself.
Goldsworthy works with nature as a state of constant change which is incredibly important to my Louisiana/Wisconsin project. Not only does that change make up the subject matter, but it also allows the art to be sensitive to weather and season changes. Bringing leaves to their unnatural environment forces a state of change that wouldn't ordinarily occur.

Ephemeral:

not intended to be kept or preserved. Ephemeral art is understood in the creation process that it will only  be viewed for a finite amount of time. Is true ephemerality possible when documentation is involved?

Andy Goldsworthy

Goldsworthy creates works of art of moving, growing, and melting natural materials. Some of his work changes over time, while others completely disappear. The fact that it's still worth his invested time is important to the essence of ephemerality. It addresses the process of creation itself.

Paul Thek

Thek dismantles his artworks after each exhibit and discards them. The collections of objects include candles, onions, shoes, tissues, eggs, bathtubs, plants, and stuffed animals among other seemingly banal things. This degree of ephemerality transcends the belief that works of art will outlast the artist. His installations serve as meeting grounds for the material and the spiritual, the past and the present, the personal and the communal, and the divine and mundane. This addresses ideals of immortality. Does my inability to find pictures of these installations mean they weren't photographically documented, thus reaching a whole new ephemeral level?

Felix Gonzalez Torres

In mostly untitled works, chocolates or cellophane-wrapped candies fill corners and stacks of papers are placed on floors of galleries. Viewers are invited to take the paper or candy, indicating that the work of art will never be the same once you come in contact with it. There's an implied unlimited supply which challenges the ephemeral nature of his works.

Barry McGee 

As a street artist, McGee's work will typically be removed or torn down. He says "I always thought it was a temporary thing. My stuff, in particular, I don’t give a darn about. That’s the nature of the beast" Fitting with the definition of ephemeral art, street artists understand during the creation of their art that it isn't timeless. This image is from the LACMA garage.

Damien Hirst

In The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, 1991, Hirst uses a shark that was hunted and killed for the sake of art. This not only addresses the ephemeral nature of life, but also consider that this shark, although preserved, will fall apart over time. If another shark replaces this one, can the work of art ever be the same again?