What is a Liminal Space?

Liminal spaces refer to transitionary places that are traveled between a beginning point and a destination. This can be applied to emotional states or points in a person's life, however the most common usage is of locations. Places such as hallways, waiting rooms, malls and hotels are commonly traversed for short periods at a time yet become familair even if they aren't stayed at for long. These same locations may also have a nostalgic or eerie sense to them when not presented in the typical lighting or being empty from the usual population. Seeing as transitions are unique to each person's own experience, some places may be a liminal space for some but not others.

The term liminal space, while not a textbook definition, is often used to describe images or places that feel either oddly nostalgic or creepily familiar. Many may still fit the criteria but others may just resemble an aesthetic without having any sembalnce of being a transitory location. This is often seen in heavily edited images made to make places scarier or even illogical to exist. These deviations have many interesting artistic ideas, especially in horror or dreamlike pieces, however are not actual liminal spaces.