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Ephemeral Art Ephemeral Art Apr–Jun 2008 The Magazine of the International Child Art Foundation Photo: Scott Whitelaw Photo Credit, opposite page: Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates, Central Park, New York City, 1979–2005 April—June 2008 Volume 11, Issue 2, Number 38 Photo: Wolfgang Volz. © Christo and Jeanne-Claude Editor’s Corner Ephemeral Art Ephemeral Art .................................................. 4 5 Where the Sands Blow, Mandalas Go ............. 5 Modernity is the transient, the fleeting, the contingent; it is one half of art, the other being Ephemera in Art ............................................... 6 the eternal and the immovable. Ephemeral Art: Visualizing Time ...................... 8 - Charles Baudelaire (French Poet, 1857) Christo and Jeanne-Claude .......................... 10 Transformational Touching the Ephemeral Moment ................. 13 Dear Readers, Enviromental Art, Page 10 Art from Ice .................................................... 14 Lately it seems as though we are living in a constant state of transition in every corner of our planet. editor writers Interview with LEGO® Sculpture Artist .......... 16 14 Change is in the air; therefore, we have dedicated this Ashfaq Ishaq, Ph. D. Terry Barrett, Ph. D. B. Stephen Carpenter, II managing editor Day of the Dead: Día de Muertos .................. 18 distinctive issue of ChildArt to the Ephemeral Arts. Melissa Chapin Carrie Foix Andrew Crummy As you will soon discover, ephemeral artists “live in assistant editor Vicki Daiello Making Ephemeral Art ................................... 20 the moment.” From Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s B. Stephen Carpenter, II Claire Eike Sheri R. Klein, Ph. D. Clementina Ferrer How to Make a Paper Boat Sculpture ........... 22 environmental works (p.10) to the delicate sand Patricia McKee Carrie Foix Amanda Lichtenwalner Here Today, Gone Tomorrow ......................... 24 mandalas of Tibetan monks (p.5), ephemeral art’s contributing editor Joanna Mawdsley Amanda Lichtenwalner existence is shaped by the effects of time. For that Yvonne Murphy Photographing the Ephemeral ...................... 26 reason, to view an ephemeral artwork is a truly graphic design Mira Reisberg, Ph. D. Shannon Smith Nathan Sawaya unique experience. Diana Lynn Thompson Domino Day and Domino Art ........................ 26 All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without Hopefully this issue will expand your definition of art written permission is prohibited. ChildArt (ISSN 1096-9020). Copyright 2008 International Child Art Foundation. Printed in the United States of America 18 and encourage you to embrace our changing world. The International Child Art Foundation (ICAF) is Time is fleeting, so capture a moment…just like a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that prepares children for a creative and cooperative future. ICAF building a sand castle to be eventually washed away is the only national art and creativity organization for children in the United States. ICAF is also the only by the sea. worldwide umbrella organization promoting children’s creativity and imagination through the arts. Happy reading! To subscribe to ChildArt magazine, call 202-530-1000, fax 202-530-1080, or e-mail [email protected]. ChildArt is published quarterly by ICAF. Submissions may be edited even when accepted. Submissions of artwork and other material to ChildArt are made at the risk of the sender. ChildArt quarterly magazine, published since 1998, is a commercial-free arts learning, self-discovery, and global education periodical. Ashfaq Ishaq, Ph. D. You can also make a donation to ICAF by sending a check to: International Child Art Foundation 20 Editor P.O. Box 58133 Washington, DC 20037, USA Photo Credit, this page: Tel: (202) 530-1000 Page 14: Sourdough (night shot), 3rd Place Realistic, by Tori Middelstadt and Emily Scarmuzzi. Photographer, Tula Belton E-mail: [email protected] Page 20: “Gyre” by Diana Lynn Thompson where the 4 5 sands blow, Apr–Jun 2008 | www.icaf.org mandalas go | Amanda Lichtenwalner | ChildArt | Ephemeral Arts Another great example of ephemeral artwork is the Tibetan sand mandala. What is a mandala? Mandala is a word that comes “…ephemeral art asks that we appreciate the art work now from the Hindu religion and translated in the present moment, for it may not be there tomorrow.” mandala means “circle” or “completion.” Usually it is used to describe a chart or a shape that represents the universe. A mandala can be many different shapes and sizes and can be made out of many different materials. Most often, mandalas are used as part of religious teaching and to help with meditation since making mandalas takes a lot of focus. Many different religions use some form of mandala, but probably the most well-known type of | Sheri Klein, Ph.D. | mandala is the sand mandala, which a group of Buddhist monks Ephemeral Art designed. A sand mandala is usually made on the floor of a Buddhist temple by a group of trained monks who memorize all of the sand Art that is made to last for hours, days, or weeks is called ephemeral art. While most art is patterns that have been created in the past. This type of mandala has created with the idea of permanence, or to last a long time, some contemporary artists often a large outer circle with a small inner circle or square. A circle is used create ephemeral art in the form of installations. Installations can be found indoors or outdoors, because a circle has no beginning or end so it is seen as a symbol of where artists combine materials, such as paper, wood, and 2-D and 3-D works into form. perfection. In the inner circle or square the monks will usually make Many installations are ephemeral because they are made from non-permanent materials, symbols that are important to the Buddhist religion and in the outer for example, food, paper, or natural materials found in nature (leaves, twigs, or rocks). Some circle they will make decorations and patterns that describe what is installation artists allow the viewers to participate, while others allow us to be observers. Rirkrit written in the inner circle. Tiravanija creates ephemeral art when he builds a replica of his apartment in a gallery and Mandalas are not just for Buddhist monks though, invites gallery viewers to eat meals and talk with him in his “house.” Performance artists, or and they do not have to be made of sand. Anyone To make the mandala the monks first sketch out a pattern. Then they artists who combine visuals, words, and music, are ephemeral artists because their works are can make a mandala, which means you can, take a metal rod and rub it against a metal tube filled with colored over in a short time. Andy Goldsworthy is an artist who uses natural forms to create outdoor too. You need a piece of paper, a paper plate (or sand that is bumpy on one side (similar to a washboard). This makes installations that are ephemeral. He gathers rocks, leaves, and twigs, and arranges them in new something round), something to draw and color a small amount of the sand come out of the tube a time so the monks forms and shapes. He leaves the new forms and shapes in nature and watches how the sun, with (crayons, markers, pastels, colored pencils, can control where the sand goes. It takes a long time to make a rain, and snow change his work and he photographs these changes in large, beautiful color or even sand if you would like), and a quiet spot. mandala and the monks must be very careful not to blow the sand photographs. Then, start by drawing a big outer circle, using away (sometimes they wear masks), but when they are done they are left with a brightly colored and beautiful design. Artists who make ephemeral art sometimes compete in competitions, such as ice sculptures, the paper plate as a guide. After that, draw whatever designs pop into your head. Be imaginative butter, and food sculptures. Still other artists who live in cities create ephemeral art through Although, all of this work seems kind of silly because a couple of graffiti and street art, and paint on walls and buildings. and use lots of color and have fun. When you are weeks or even just days after making the mandala the monks scoop up done, hang your mandala up somewhere where the sand and either throw it into the wind or a flowing body of water, Some people may consider gardens a kind of ephemeral art, do you? Whatever form it you can see it and leave it there for a week or two. such as a stream or river to spread the blessings of the mandala. They takes, ephemeral art asks that we appreciate the art work now in the present moment, for it They say you can learn things from your mandala by also do this to show how things are temporary in life because that is may not be there tomorrow. looking at it; so, when you pass your mandala see if one of the main ideas of Buddhism. Additionally, it symbolizes starting it tells you anything important. over and starting new. 6 7 Apr–Jun 2008 | www.icaf.org Apr–Jun 2008 | www.icaf.org Ephemera in ArtAfter shaping, constructing, and polishing one of my sculptures or when I see someone wearing a piece I have created, I wonder how long this object will exist in the world and if it will have significance for others in the future. However, while the metal object may endure for many years and may be meaningful ChildArt | Ephemeral Arts | Vicki Daiello | to someone, I hold onto the special memories of making the artwork. The metal object will likely have a long existence, can be a source of insight while the act of creating the works is short-lived. However, the about self and society.
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