Liquid Landscapes and Ephemeral Site-Specific Art and Architecture in the Era of Social Networks

Ephemeral art and architecture have a way of leaving permanent registers in social networks. They become footprints of past events, in constant change and growth as their dissemination expands through sharing, comments, likes, and hashtags. These digital traces become new elements of meaning within tourist scenography and contribute to constructing the cultural identity of a territory. Social media platforms alter the perception of such ephemeral interventions and redefine how territory is experienced, especially within the liquid dynamics of contemporary tourism. The solid, physical and tangible territory becomes a liquid landscape, reinterpreted in real-time by the digital nomad who inhabits it, challenging traditional criteria of territorial identity.

This conceptual framework is anchored in Bauman’s theory of liquid modernity and its extensions into architecture and art. As previously observed in creative neighborhoods and temporary interventions, ephemeral actions increasingly function as cultural activators and tools for urban identity and social cohesion (De Souza, 2024). Furthermore, the redevelopment of obsolete industrial areas through artistic and educational strategies, shows how site-specific creative practices are intertwined with sustainable urban transformation (De Souza & Naranjo, 2023).

Finally, this research acknowledges the influence of vertical and transversal educational methodologies, such as the integrated urban drawing and planning studios that encourage critical spatial analysis and interdisciplinary experimentation. These academic frameworks—rooted in experiential learning and collective authorship—shape new ways to design and document ephemeral architecture (De Souza, Ferrer, & Naranjo, 2023).