Word of the Week: Ephemerality

Is that really a word? I have to look it up…

Ok, yes.

I am a huge fan of Andy Goldsworthy’s work, and of ephemeral art in general. I like to make such art myself. It feels to me like ephemeral art most closely resembles and compliments real life.

I’m sure there’s a lot of views and disagreements about this- some folks want to make things that are long lasting, as permanent as can be, leaving their mark on the world. They want to create objects that are statements and contain fixed meaning. Not so much me; I like to make stuff that is suggestive, not definitive. Snapshots, glimpses, fleeting sounds, curls of creative smoke that dissipate, but leave a lingering not quite certain scent in the air.

Why do I like this kind of work so much? I think because the impermanence speaks to me for some reason. I’d like to make things that evoke a feeling, spark a memory, give a sense of possibility, or create a space for pausing and letting a mood wash over.

The control freak part of me finds this hard to do, so I have to work at it. At my best, I’ll make stuff that has no point, set it out into the wild and let chance run it’s course. Otherwise, I just make a thing, and it’s static, which then makes me crazy: why wasn’t I brave enough to not exercise my will over it? I very often forget to leave time and space for the possibility of magic to occur (or not) and more often than not tend to fill a beautiful, peaceful silence with some chatter or other. (editors note: today’s oblique strategy was: “Don’t Break the Silence”)

Inspirations for such work: that 2 second period where the sun shines golden above the mist below, when the light quality is crystal liquid, and then is swallowed up by the mist, gone…the moment a flower springs open from a tightly wrapped bud…the electric thrill of warm lips meeting right at the beginning of a kiss…the direct sense of taste and texture before you can think about it when you pop a piece of Unagi sushi in your mouth…the fleeting sweetness of the first sip of cold clear spring water…little bluebirds fledging, all anxiety and excitement, then leaping in faith…the three notes of a song that go straight to your heart before you catch yourself knowing the tune…the moments before the sun peeks over the east ridge, and the last ray of golden orange light flashing into purple twilight as it drops behind the ridge…the moment of anticipation when you call someone you love, right when they answer the phone and just before they speak…the hillsides greening on the first real day of spring…6 bambi deer bouncing across the road and into the woods…that moment you lay down in bed after a long day, when your mind stops, just for a second…a glance across a crowded room, connecting with someone eyes, and for a split second, you both see into each others soul…the smell of the air as a rain shower approaches, just before the deluge…an almost nothing whiff of perfume that sparks a flood of memories…the feel of new spring grass the first time you step on it with bare feet…

Obviously, I could go on at length…but here’s the point: all these experiences are immediate, fleeting, instantaneous and you can’t physically hold on to them. Here, and gone; ephemeral. But no less real and everyone reading this knows these scents, tactile feelings and tastes and probably has the ability to associate bunches of random memories to them.

I think the strength in a thing/object is in their ability to evoke meaning, memory, and feeling. Experiences, memories and feelings, that’s the stuff of life. What matters most is what happens inside of us, how we respond to outside stimuli, and what we do with it.

Living doesn’t seem to be a static experience. The only constant is change, the degree determined by the speed of change relative to time. It’s all happening, all the time. So we live, learn, we do. We gather our experiences, have feelings of all kinds sparked, and store our memories within our cells. I kind of like the idea that every second, every encounter with anybody/thing can result in a permanent imprint. So, today I encourage everyone to celebrate and embrace ephemeral experiences and share them with us.

I’m off to work for the rest of what is going to be a long day. In the process I’m gonna try to be open to little sweet and unexpected happenings. I’ll see what I can experience, share, and learn, and what memories can be made from that bit of living.

Hope everyone has a great day wherever you are.