Ephemeral Stone Art: exploring temporary sculpture
Ephemeral means temporary. But how temporary? none of these 3 pieces are balances, they are all structural arrangements, and all will stand, unless someone knocks them over intentionally.
Ephemeral sculpture is work that is created to be impermanent. Like a sand castle, the tide takes it all way. As an stone masonry artisan, I strive to create works that excel in terms of longevity. But as an artist, I also like to play and experiment with the medium. As an environmental artist, and as a human, I need to play. Here I’m showing work of mine that occupies that middle ground, built not for hours, like a sand castle, but not built for the ages, like my masonry work.
Noodle Cairn: rough stone stacked high
This one, for example, has stood since winter solstice 2025. It’s withstood blizzards. Branches have fallen nearby to it many times, but haven;t landed directly on it with enough force to knock it over. Chances are it’ll stand until I dismantle it and build something different with its parts. For example: I’ve built a couple Devy Wovy Cairns already, with these same stones.
This Noodle Cairn is topped presently with a 3 tendril piece, carved from a bit of reclaimed limestone. I scooped up a truckload of free limestone from the quarry in Indiana, when delivering a bench commission nearby.
Pagoda Cairn: fairly flat stones
This pagoda also has a carved top piece. A remnant from when I made the Great Pyramid of New York.
Lithadelic Tear Drop: masonry sculpture
This one a bit more sculptural, a bit more time consuming. Essentially, this is an example of Lithadelic Sculpture–only in miniature. I built this same form, in large scale last year, for a public commission in Ohio.
Being an example of masonry sculpture, this one is built like stone masonry, informed by over a decade of work as a stone sculpture artist, and many decades as a stone mason. As such–it’s odd to call this one ephemeral. Usually, a Lithadelic Sculpture is not called ephemeral. But being so small….and being dry set…and being perched atop an upright boulder like this…the irony here is that Masonry Sculpture is not an ephemeral style, but this miniature piece is actually more ephemeral than the previous two pieces.
Masonry work is built to outlast the builder. As are my Lithadelic Works. And this here is one of my Lithadelic Sculptures…but since it’s built in miniature and perched so precariously it’s thus a living example of both masonry and ephemeral art.
Why would I create ephemeral stone sculptures like these?
Much of my work as a stone sculpture artist is built with the hope that future archeologists may ponder over what I have done. But these temporary works meanwhile allow me to explore the same themes and forms, but without the constraint of needing to make them last “forever”. As if anything ever would. With that pressure removed, I’m able to work much faster, and explore composition in a more lighthearted manner. Furthermore: I’m able to get the ideas out–faster. I have so many ideas sketched out on paper, and floating in my head. Te discipline involved in bringing forth one of my major works is such that only a few at most get created each year. I’ve got so many ideas–I need a faster outlet.
About the Vision
Many times I create such works–and later make more formalized permanent versions. Squiggly Noodle, for example, started out as a quickly created temporary work, and was later rebuilt, with mortar, hidden rods and such, and with grater attention to fine detail. I’ve also been commissioned to versions of my temporary cairn pieces indoors, with structure making them permanent installations, as Indoor Memorials Cairns.
