Liminal space (aesthetic)
Liminal space (aesthetic) refers to a unique internet aesthetic characterized by images of empty or abandoned locations that evoke a sense of surrealism and nostalgia. Initially emerging on online platforms around 2019, this aesthetic gained significant traction during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many previously bustling public spaces transformed into eerie ghost towns due to lockdown measures. The term "liminal" originates from the Latin word for "threshold" and describes transitional spaces, such as corridors and waiting rooms, which are typically not meant for prolonged occupation. This aesthetic often elicits feelings of unease and familiarity, as viewers may recognize these spaces but struggle to pinpoint why.
A well-known example within this aesthetic is "The Backrooms," a creepypasta that features a distinctly unsettling hallway. The liminal space aesthetic also encompasses subgenres, including "Dead Malls," which document abandoned shopping centers, and "Unliminal Spaces," which present transitional spaces that incorporate humorous elements. Overall, the liminal space aesthetic captures a complex interplay of nostalgia and discomfort, inviting viewers to reflect on the transient nature of spaces and experiences.
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Subject Terms
Liminal space (aesthetic)
Liminal spaces are surreal, often empty places of transition that may also have some sort of nostalgic appeal. These kinds of places are the subject of an internet aesthetic, or popular online visual art style, consisting of images of empty or abandoned locales that appear eerie to the viewer. Liminal space images often evoke a sense of unease, likely because of the “uncanny valley” effect produced when familiar spaces are observed outside of their normal context. After first emerging on internet forums in 2019, interest in the liminal space aesthetic surged thanks to the many images of empty streets and vacated public places that proliferated online when widespread lockdowns were necessitated by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Since that time, images of liminal spaces have remained a popular curiosity across the internet and on various social media platforms.
Background
In order to properly understand liminal spaces as an internet aesthetic, it is first necessary to explore the meaning and broader concept of liminality itself. German-French folklorist Arnold van Gennep first coined the term “liminality” in his 1909 work Rites de Passage. In this book, van Gennep examined the idea of transition within the specific context of ceremonies practiced in different groups. He defined liminality as a rite of passage that results in a change of status for an individual member of a group or the group as a whole. In essence, liminality is a period of change during which a person is at once not what they previously were and not yet what they are about to become. It is also worth noting that the linguistic roots of the word liminal are found in the Latin term limen, meaning “threshold.”
Spaces described as liminal have two distinct characteristics. The first is that they are transitional in nature. A liminal space is considered transitory in the sense that its purpose is to take a person from one place to another, rather than being a place where one would normally stay for an extended period of time. Corridors and alleyways are common examples of liminal spaces. Such spaces often seem eerie when they are empty. This particular sense of eeriness often arises when a space is observed outside of its designed context. For example, images of an empty waiting room may be somewhat off-putting simply because it would usually be filled with people. Without the people, an empty waiting room looks and feels somehow off and a bit strange. This is in part because the emptiness allows the observer’s imagination to fill in the blank in some way.
The second characteristic of liminal spaces is that they evoke an uneasy sense of nostalgia. When viewing an image of a liminal space, observers often feel like they have seen the space in question before, but do not know why it seems familiar. This means that the observer simultaneously experiences both a sense of nostalgia and a sense of uneasiness that arises from being unable to understand exactly why they recognize the space at which they are looking.
Overview
The idea of liminal spaces as an internet aesthetic got its start in 2019 on the often-controversial online message board 4chan. The trend started when a creepypasta, which is a type of horror-related urban legend circulated on the internet, was posted on 4chan. The creepypasta in question featured a liminal space image of a hallway with yellow carpets and wallpaper dubbed The Backrooms. In short order, The Backrooms went viral and spurred a widespread interest in images of liminal spaces across the internet. In particular, the liminal space aesthetic proved to be especially popular on platforms like Reddit, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok. It subsequently gained even more attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. After people around the world were forced into lockdowns as part of early efforts to combat the spread of the disease, images of once crowded city streets and other public places suddenly transformed into veritable ghost towns with everyone stuck inside their homes further fueled interest in the liminal space aesthetic.
Even as the idea of liminal space has become increasingly popular online, a clear definition of liminality as it specifically applies to the concept as an internet aesthetic remains elusive. In most cases, it is described only on the basis of the feelings that liminal space images illicit. As a result, there is room for a wide degree of variability when it comes to establishing a more formal definition. Perhaps the most definitive available description of liminality is that which is found on the official r/LiminalSpace subreddit itself. According to the subreddit’s definition, liminality is “a transitional point between two regions or states” and, in relation to photography, “revolves around the sense of lingering in a region or state that would usually be passed without a second's thought.” The subreddit adds that liminal spaces must be completely free of people. The last requirement is that “a liminal image must be so on its own,” meaning that the liminality of an image must not be overly reliant on “imperceptible context or personal experience.” The subreddit definition of liminality also establishes that creepiness and nostalgia are not always necessary attributes of liminality.
As the liminal space aesthetic has expanded, it has come to include a number of subgenres. Two of the most notable of these are the Dead Mall and Unliminal Spaces subgenres. The Dead Mall genre consists of images taken in abandoned shopping malls. This approach to liminal photography is aimed at documenting extinct stores and products in spaces that no longer used for the purposes they were originally built. Vacant and devoid of life, abandoned malls are transformed into unsettling liminal spaces. The Unliminal Spaces subgenre focuses on spaces that are liminal in some respects, but also feature humorous elements that negates their potential eeriness. Images of places like abandoned theme restaurants or children’s play areas often fall into in the Unliminal Spaces subgenre.
Bibliography
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