Photographic Memory of Ephemeral Art
 (Christo and Jeanne-Claude, J. Plensa & R. Smithson)

In the 1960s and 1970s, land art (1) actions within the different modalities of Art and Concept gained the most followers and are still being carried out today (even in primary school settings). The starting point of these activities was the ecological reflection on the damage caused by humans to the natural environment. Subsequently, these artistic performances also became urban spectacles. Without photography documenting the completed land artworks and allowing them to be remembered, ephemeral art would probably not have existed.

The first actions demonstrate the dimension of time and interprofessional work, considering the time invested in constructing the work and the human and technical resources needed to carry it out. In 1969, Christo and Jeanne-Claude covered 92,900 square metres of coastline with fabric at Little Bay (Australia). In 1970, Robert Smithson created the Spiral Jetty, 49 metres in diameter, transporting earth and stones to the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

In 2023, Jaume Plensa installed a Giant Heart (2) at the Hospital Clínic (3) in Barcelona. The ephemeral work aimed to highlight the research and medical interventions of healthcare professionals, who, thanks to their work, allow many hearts to start beating again with life.