Liminal spaces, a concept rooted in the thresholds of architecture and psychology, have garnered significant attention and fascination in recent years, particularly through the lens of Internet aesthetics. These spaces, often depicted as empty or abandoned places, evoke a sense of eeriness and surrealism. Their unsettling nature can be attributed to their transitional and ambiguous characteristics, placing them within an uncanny valley of architectural design. This editorial explores the intricacies of liminal spaces, their characteristics, historical context, and psychological implications, unraveling why they resonate so deeply within our collective consciousness.
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Definition and Characteristics
Liminal spaces, derived from the Latin word "limen" meaning "threshold," are defined as transitional or transformative spaces. These can be physical, such as doorways, hallways, and staircases, or psychological, representing periods of change, growth, or uncertainty. The essence of liminality lies in its in-betweenness, capturing the sensation of being neither here nor there.
The imagery of liminal spaces often conveys a sense of "in-between," capturing places like stairwells, corridors, or hotels that are unsettlingly devoid of people. These images evoke moods of eeriness, surrealness, nostalgia, or sadness, eliciting responses of both comfort and unease. The eerie quality of liminal spaces can be attributed to their deviation from reality, appearing familiar yet subtly off, creating a sense of unease typical of the uncanny valley phenomenon.
Psychological and Architectural Dimensions
The Uncanny Valley in Architecture
Research from the Journal of Environmental Psychology has indicated that liminal spaces may appear eerie or strange because they fall into an uncanny valley of architecture and physical places. The uncanny valley, a term traditionally applied to humanoid robots or figures, describes the unsettling feeling when something appears almost human but not quite. In the context of liminal spaces, this concept translates to physical places that seem familiar but are devoid of their usual context, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Alexander Diel and Michael Lewis of Cardiff University have further explored this phenomenon, attributing the unsettling nature of liminal spaces to the uncanny valley effect. Places that appear familiar but deviate subtly from reality evoke feelings of eeriness and discomfort. This is evident in images depicting empty playgrounds or schoolhouses, where the absence of expected activity (such as children playing or students attending classes) creates a disconcerting atmosphere.
Eeriness and Contextual Deviation
Peter Heft, writing for Pulse: The Journal of Science and Culture, delves into the eerie quality of liminal spaces by drawing on the works of cultural theorist Mark Fisher. Heft explains that eeriness arises when an individual perceives a situation differently from their expectations. For instance, a schoolhouse, typically bustling with activity, becomes unsettling when depicted as unnaturally empty. This "failure of presence" is a hallmark of the aesthetic experience of eeriness, as described by Fisher .
The Rise of Liminal Spaces in Internet Culture
The Backrooms Phenomenon
The concept of liminal spaces gained significant traction in 2019 with the viral spread of the "Backrooms" image on 4chan. This image, depicting a nondescript hallway with yellow carpets and wallpaper, was accompanied by a caption suggesting that by "noclipping out of bounds in real life," one could enter the Backrooms—a vast, empty wasteland of corridors characterized by the "stink of old moist carpet" and "the endless background noise of fluorescent lights."
The Backrooms phenomenon exemplifies the eerie allure of liminal spaces, portraying an alternate reality that is both familiar and disconcerting. This viral image sparked a surge of similar content across various platforms, including Reddit, Twitter, and TikTok, with communities dedicated to sharing and discussing liminal space imagery. By November 2022, the subreddit r/LiminalSpace had amassed over 500,000 members, and the Twitter account @SpaceLiminalBot had over 1.2 million followers, while the TikTok hashtag #liminalspaces had garnered over two billion views.
Characteristics of Liminal Spaces
Transitional Nature and Ambiguity
Liminal spaces are inherently transitional, existing on the threshold between different areas or states of being. They are not destinations but conduits, guiding individuals from one place to another. This transitional nature is evident in various forms, from grand spaces like airport terminals to intimate ones like hallways within a home.
These spaces are also characterized by their ambiguity, often blending elements of the environments they connect. For example, an arcade bridges the interior and exterior, offering the protection of an indoor space while exposing one to the outside environment. This blurring of boundaries can create a sense of disorientation or uncertainty, contributing to the eerie quality of liminal spaces.
Spatial and Sensory Characteristics
Liminal spaces vary greatly in form and scale, from narrow corridors and staircases to expansive lobbies and plazas. They often share a sense of direction or movement, guiding the flow of people through architectural cues that subtly direct movement. The design of these spaces frequently emphasizes the axis of movement, employing a linear or path-like organization.
From a sensory perspective, liminal spaces offer a unique experience by marrying elements of the environments they connect. A balcony, for instance, provides exposure to natural light and views like an exterior space while maintaining the comfort and protection of an interior space. The sensory experience in these spaces often mixes elements of both connected environments, creating a distinctive atmosphere.
Functional and Social Shifts
Liminal spaces also reflect shifts in purpose or activity. A threshold between a bustling kitchen and a tranquil bedroom, for example, marks a change not just in space but also in function and atmosphere. This shift can be underscored through changes in material, color, lighting, or spatial proportions.
Socially, liminal spaces often offer opportunities for informal interaction and observation. Balconies, terraces, or staircases can provide vantage points for observing surroundings, while larger transit spaces like train stations or bridges can serve as melting pots of diverse social interactions.
The Psychological Impact of Liminal Spaces
Universality and Familiarity
Liminal spaces often strike us with a haunting sense of familiarity, as if we have encountered them before, even when we have not. This feeling can be both eerie and comforting, akin to revisiting an old memory. The familiarity of liminal spaces can be attributed to their ubiquitous presence in our built environments. Hallways, staircases, doorways, and elevators form the skeleton of almost every building, making them common elements in our daily lives across different cultural contexts.
The repetition of architectural tropes and design elements also contributes to this sense of familiarity. Images of long corridors with doors on either side or empty parking lots under a night sky have been replicated in countless buildings, films, and photographs. These repeated visual patterns create a subconscious sense of recognition, making even new spaces seem strangely familiar.
Emotional Resonance
The universality of experiences and emotions associated with liminal spaces further strengthens their familiarity. The anticipation before opening a door, the sense of arrival when stepping into a lobby, or the introspection during a solitary walk down a corridor—these are universal human experiences. Regardless of the specifics of a space, these shared emotions make liminal spaces feel relatable and familiar.
Liminal spaces also often lack a strong individual identity, designed to be neutral and allow the function or character of adjacent spaces to shine. This neutrality can make them seem generic, blending different instances of liminal spaces into a common, familiar archetype in our minds.
Psychological Mirrors
On a deeper level, liminal spaces mirror our psychological experiences of transition and change. Just as these spaces exist in a state of "in-between," we often find ourselves in similar states—between jobs, relationships, homes, or stages of life. These internal liminalities are a universal part of the human experience, further strengthening the sense of familiarity associated with liminal spaces.
Liminal spaces hold a significant place in art and literature, often symbolizing transformation, growth, or the journey into the unknown. Their unsettling quality can prompt introspection, self-discovery, and open us up to new possibilities. In literature, these spaces are used to represent characters' transitions or pivotal moments, reflecting the internal struggles and changes they undergo.
In visual arts, liminal spaces are depicted to evoke a range of emotions, from nostalgia and melancholy to curiosity and wonder. Artists utilize the eerie and ambiguous nature of these spaces to create powerful imagery that resonates with viewers on a deep psychological level.
Closing Off
Liminal spaces, with their transitional and ambiguous characteristics, occupy a unique place in our built environments and psychological landscapes. Their eerie allure, rooted in the uncanny valley phenomenon, stems from their deviation from familiar contexts and the emotions they evoke. As ubiquitous elements of architecture, these spaces create a sense of familiarity and recognition, while also mirroring our internal experiences of transition and change.
The rise of liminal spaces in Internet culture, exemplified by the viral Backrooms phenomenon, underscores their widespread appeal and fascination. Through their depiction in art and literature, liminal spaces continue to captivate our imagination, prompting introspection and exploration of the unknown.
In understanding and appreciating liminal spaces, we gain insight into the complexities of our interactions with the built environment and our psychological experiences of change and uncertainty. These spaces, often overlooked, hold a profound significance in shaping our perceptions, emotions, and connections with the world around us.
