The Phenomenon of Liminal Spaces

If you’ve ever been online, I’m sure you’ve come across at least one post or image that has a similar look or feel to the ones above. I’ve come across them mostly on TikTok and I always take a minute to kind of marvel at them. Sometimes I even like to imagine what it would be like to actually be inside of it. You might have even experienced these unique spaces in real life. An empty parking garage at night, a deserted playground, a store right before it closes.

They’re called liminal spaces and in recent years the internet has become fascinated with the concept of them. The word liminal refers to the general concept of transition or being in between something. It can be an emotional transition, like that feeling right before starting a new job and quitting your old one, or something more physical. Such as a hallway, or a staircase. That’s also why lots of these images depict doorways, roads or pathways

All these images though have something in common. It’s more about the feeling they evoke, rather than what they depict, or don’t depict. And that feeling is sometimes profoundly hard to explain …

Each person experiences them a little differently. I’ve seen people describe them as unsettling, or unnerving, while others find themselves comforted by these empty landscapes. To me, it’s a bit of both. Some just sit right on that thin line between unsettling and strangely comforting.

But that’s because of the core concept of liminal spaces. They mix familiarity with something that doesn’t quite feel right. You’ve seen a lot of these places before. Probably just not in this way. Liminal spaces like to depict environments that are often full of people- like water parks, playgrounds and pools- but empty. This can make us feel uneasy and unsettled. Like something might be wrong with this space or that we shouldn’t be here. It might also be because we might not be completely alone in this empty space.

Liminal spaces, like the backrooms have popularized this exact feeling of not being completely safe when you’re all alone. Originally starting as an image posted on 4chan around 2019. The backrooms have exploded in popularity as a creepypasta. Usually featuring a person who just clips into the backrooms at random and are then forced to wander this endless, musty smelling hallway. All with buzzing fluorescent lights, no hope of escape and the constant threat of horrifying entities that can pop up out of nowhere. It has spawned various first-person horror games and a crossover with the SCP foundation.

But not all liminal spaces need to feel scary or unsettling. Combined with aesthetics like Dreamcore or Weirdcore, they have made liminal spaces feel almost comforting, serene or nostalgic. Like a scenic pool in the middle of nowhere or a private beach all for yourself. These images give you this feeling of yearning for a place that doesn’t exist. Or for a space that is all your own, one where nothing is expected and you can just exist.

But whatever aesthetic you choose to apply to this, the theme remains. An empty, yet familiar space that evokes a sensation you can’t quite put your finger on. There are multiple games that explore this feeling in more depth than what images can provide. Such as POOLS, Dreamcore or Liminalcore. All allow you to explore commonly seen liminal spaces, such as pools, playrooms or an endless neighborhood. There are no monsters or enemies to escape from, like the backrooms. Rather, the feeling of fear is solely reliant on immersing yourself in these eerie, empty environments. For now, it doesn’t feel like liminal spaces are going anywhere. There are still hordes of communities fascinated by them and creating images. But like all internet trends, they’ll eventually lose their lustre and might disappear into the ether completely. And who knows, maybe whoever finds them after us, will still experience that strange feeling of unease and comfort, just like we did.

What kind of liminal space is your favourite?