Remember this?

Look at the main image above. Have you been here before? Look deep into your memory. Perhaps you have been here, maybe as a kid where you went on vacation with your family. Maybe years ago in a memory you have forgotten.

You are probably feeling a sense of nostalgia, a sense of a memory that was so long ago you have forgotten. Most likely you have never even been here before but you could still feel like you have. This will be important later.

Many images share the same underlying tone to them like the one shown above. A sense of not belonging there or that you aren’t supposed to be there but you are. In the past, I may or may not have been to these places that invoke those feelings. Nevertheless, you, as the reader, may share the same feelings as me and other individuals. That is why I will be exploring the reason why liminal space images feel the way they do.

The Backrooms

Heard of the Backrooms before? It was a popular thing around 2020-2022 and involved a yellowing office space with bright, almost blinding, fluorescent lights. This image gained it’s popularity because of it being the first depiction of liminal spaces that had an uncanny feeling.

I have found through my personal research that the main reason an image creates this sense of feeling is due to empty areas that are typically alive. Take, for example, the image above the Backrooms. It’s an office space that is usually flooding with people, but is now empty and hollowed out.

Another example is a school, long after all the students have gone home. Now imagine yourself walking through said school. You are expecting there to be students everywhere, in classrooms or out in the halls during transitions; however, nobody’s there. It gives a creepy feeling, no?

Google’s definition of liminal goes as the following, “Occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold.” Taking this definition, I come to find that both my examples follow this statement. The first example is school after hours being on the threshold between closing and opening times. The other example is the backrooms at the boundary of a time where it was occupied to a time that is empty.

The takeaway from this section goes like this: places meant to be filled with life that are now empty gives the feeling that liminal space images give.

A little challenge

Contradictory to the heading, this challenge is actually pretty easy. My challenge to you is to try creating your own liminal space image. It may sound hard and some questions might pop up like, “How do I do that?” and, “Don’t you need specific gear or editing software for that?” I’ll answer the first one in a bit, and to the second question, some images you find online do have people using expensive equipment, but you can do this with your phone.

Find an empty space that is supposed to have people (parking lots, hallways, offices, schools, etc.) and take out your cell phone. Snap a picture of that and review it. Does it give off vibes of eeriness or nostalgia? If so, congratulations! You made one. If not, try again.

Included down below is a picture I took when I was going to an appointment. It was an empty hallway that, in the image, seemed to have some elements of a liminal space that I have described before.

Given the example I have provided above, go and have fun making your own liminal space image! 😀

Brendan T.

I am a 15 year old student at Carrollton High School. Currently interested in many things like videogames, slight horror topics, technology, and other things like that. I am also Asian.