Brazilian artist Néle Azevedo creates temporary street art. Modeled after human figures, Azevedo’s miniature ice sculptures are delicately installed in large urban settings, lasting for less than an hour before melting into the landscape.

Reactions to the work vary, but most who encounter the tiny sculptures are moved to pause and engage with them. Azevedo writes:

The reactions are similar, but the intensity varies. In Tokyo, an old lady at Ueno’s food market was very anguished to see the sculptures melting and asked me to take them away, she then placed them on a tray and took them.

For one recent installation, Azevedo partnered with the World Wildlife Fund, using thousands of melting figures to symbolize the effects of global warming.

For more photos of Azevedo’s work, visit his portfolio here.

(via GOOD)