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If you ever find yourself in a space that brings up a feeling of ‘not knowing what’s up but something’s definitely up’ you may have encountered a liminal space. Obsessed over by fans who chase the unsettling feel, liminal spaces have become somewhat of a mysterious phenomenon surfing around the internet.
According to Imgur user RobJustice, “The liminal space is the 'crossing over' space, a space where you have left something behind, yet you are not yet fully in something else. It's a transition space.”
And thanks to the r/LiminalSpace subreddit with 237k members, we now have some of the most captivating examples to rest (or stress) our eyes on. From bowling alleys and abandoned buildings to almost surreal window views and places that feel strangely familiar although you have never been there, it’s hard not to stare for more.
And let us know how you feel about these liminal spaces in the comments below!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Uniformed Forest
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#2
A Phone Box In Snow
#3
2020
To find out more about these mysterious spaces that have been capturing the internet's imagination, Bored Panda talked to Lillie Marshall, an English teacher and writer who runs Around the World "L" Travel and Life Blog. Lillie is also a self-confessed fan of liminal spaces and discussed the phenomenon in her articles that you can check out here and here.
Lillie said she has been fascinated by the concept of liminal spaces since she was little. “I loved thinking and writing about them. So much of our lives are spent in these in-between spaces, and yet we so often ignore them,” she said and added: “Once you can see the importance and beauty of liminal spaces, it makes it much easier to be in the moment and enjoy the journey as much as the destination.”
#4
No No No. Not Good
#5
Picture I Took A Few Years Ago In Poland
#6
It’s Christmas Eve And You’re All Alone
When asked how she’d describe a liminal space, Lillie explained it has to do with a magical and transformative quality. “Liminality can exist in physical space, time, and states of being, and refers to that in-between moment where you're between two things.”
Moreover, “It is a sometimes uncomfortable—but extremely important—era of transformation and shifting. Often we get impatient with these transitional spaces, but they are KEY, and are beautiful and profound if you allow yourself to truly be in them and understand their magical gifts,” she concluded.
#7
Well, That's Not A Good Sign...
#8
Don't Turn The Corner
#9
Google Maps Said This Is Where I Can Find Taco Bell, And I Just Realized That The Last Car I Saw Was An Hour Ago...
Bisexual Backflipping 4 years ago
One time Google Maps told my family our hotel was down River Road, it was a long-ass gravel trail that led to literally nowhere, and we ended up with a 6-inch nail in our tire. F****n Google Maps, man.
Bored Panda also spoke to Rob Justice, a table-top role-playing game designer and software engineer living in Kansas City, Missouri who is a fan of the liminal aesthetic and has shared an illuminating post on the topic on Imgur.“
A few months ago I saw a picture on Twitter, it's actually the very first one in the imgur post you linked above, and just couldn't stop thinking about it,” he recounted. Rob said he hadn’t heard about liminality so he did a bit of reading. “A few days later I was looking through old pictures on my phone and realized I'd taken a few liminal space pictures myself over the years. Just places that felt unique or odd to me. It's always weird to realize you're a fan of something before you know what it is.”
#10
Stay On The Light. They Won't Be Able To Get You If You're On The Light
#11
It's Not Safe To Go Outside But Inside Feels Haunted
Samantha Lomb 4 years ago (edited)
naah Just feels like literally any Eastern European apartment block. I can smell the cigarettes and cats
#12
The Oval Office Between Us Presidents
Rob believes that there’s “something strangely powerful to the human psyche about transitionary places. The feeling of being between two places is an uncanny feeling, whether it's literal or psychological.”
This feeling can occur in any place. “I recently took a family vacation and we spent several hours in airports, where I kept thinking about the concept of liminality; We're not home but we're not on our vacation yet.” Rob explained that just like most transitions, “it's stressful but there is something comforting knowing that it's temporary. I think that's where people find themselves drawn to liminal pictures. It's temporary places made permanent."
#13
This Memory Belongs To Everybody And Nobody
Nigel Rodgers 4 years ago (edited)
I can hear the wipers and other cars splashing past. And of course, there's a tragic jam. Edit: I only saw this auto correct 5 days later😂🤣
#15
The Entrance To The Infinity Pool. Once You Enter, There Is No Going Back
When it comes to describing this phenomenon, Rob said that his favorite definition is that “a liminal space is a 'crossing over' or transition space. It's a place where you have left something behind yet you are not yet fully in something else. It's the space between other spaces.”
Turns out that, “liminal is from the Latin word limen, meaning 'a threshold' so a liminal space is often a boundary point of one space beginning and another space ending,” he concluded.
#16
Lemme Get Some Uhhhhhhh
#17
Only A Faint Hum And My Footsteps Can Be Heard.
#18
My Grandmother’s Basement
Richard Portman 4 years ago
I would too. It has possibilities. Good on granma for this.
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Louise Stange-Wahl 4 years ago
Oh yeah--but it needs to be spelled "Junque!"
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Bobert Robertson 4 years ago (edited)
Suddenly the lights shut off and the tv turns on to a man in a suit in dimly lit room talking to you
Henny Hana 4 years ago
There will be a door and when you open it, you will be back to this room.. again and again
Sullivan Stacy 1 year ago
this is the type of basement that you look forward to go in at your grandmother's house but realize something is wrong
Addison Tharp 3 years ago
I feel like sitting on the floor with my mouth wide open watching static.
ThePanInPanda 3 years ago
Why the heck would you keep a bicycle in a basement? Gonna drag it up the stairs whenever you wanna ride it?
Angus Carnegie 4 years ago
this looks like the 1980s took a trip to her basement. still eiry. :l
Spikey Bunny 4 years ago
It looks upside down... those tiles look like they should be on the ceiling
Richard Portman 4 years ago
Looks like a refuge. Go to Deseret Industries and find a cot and some basics. Get a lamp and a table and unplug that ceiling thing. Help grandma.
Rick Krivoniak 4 years ago
We had very similar vinyl tile in a new 1977 house. I still sorta like it.
#19
The International Space Station At Night
#20
Pool Tunnels
#21
My Friend Was Tested For Covid, This Is The Room He Waited In
#22
The Lower I Go, The Higher The Water Gets
#23
Empty Aquarium Restaurant, Made Me Feel Sad And Empty For Some Reason
Bisexual Backflipping 4 years ago
I want to say what the title does. It gives me a feeling of hopelessness
#24
No No No No No No No
#25
Dust And Laundry
#26
Aesthetic Liminality
#27
Feels Like I Shouldn't Turn Around. Just Keep Walking
#28
View From The Laundry Room Looks Fake
#29
Waiting The Turn
#30
The Exam Will Take Place Down The Hall And To The Left, Good Luck
#31
Bliss
#32
Driving To The Airport
Green Machine 4 years ago
Maybe I'm the only one, but I love fog and how it seems to transform places by changing nothing but the perspective.
#33
Blue Aesthetic
#34
Found An Artist Doing Some Pure Liminal
#36
An Old Pic I Forgot I Had On My Phone
#37
A Nice Place To Make A Best Friend That You'll Never See Again
#38
Railway
#39
Hello? I’m Here For The Conference
#40
8821
#41
Marte Marte Architects Presents Dramatic Exhibition Hall In Red And Black
Hermien Greeff 4 years ago
This one is gorgeous! It just needs some oversized art and sculptures and someone handing out champagne.
#42
The Infinity Room In The House On The Rock, Located Between The Cities Dodgeville And Spring Green, Wisconsin. The Room Is 218 Feet Long
#43
Empty Poolroom
#44
Liminal Space
#47
Anchorage Grand Hotel
#48
Around The Corner
#50
Those Stairs Could Lead Anywhere Or Nowhere At All.
Paul Mckay 4 years ago
Something tells me you walk up one set and appear walking down the others.
#51
Nightclub
Billy The Kid 4 years ago
This looks like the stairwell in that Madness song - one step beyond
#52
Pov: You Lost Your Mom On The Aquarium
Billy The Kid 4 years ago
You are stuck in that tunnel forever as it just goes around and around....
#53
Oz
#55
Empty Labs
#56
My Swimsuit’s Still Dripping Water!
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Giovanna 4 years ago
I LOVED it. The shining vibes all over. There must be a (genetic? Neurological?) reason why this kind of scenario scares us all
mph seti 4 years ago
It's mostly places were we're used to seeing other people. It's odd and unnerving to see them empty. A while back, I worked at a 24 hour Walmart. We only closed on Xmas eve. It was really bizarre being in there when it was devoid of customers. Airports after midnight, subway stations when the trains aren't running, an empty waiting room. All are a little spooky.
Load More Replies...
Kenny Kulbiski 4 years ago
Enjoyed these. Some of them were weirdly inviting. Forbidden fruit?
Demi Zwaan 4 years ago
I still don’t understand it. These are just artistic pictures of empty places and interesting architecture. I see no transition between whatevers or anything weird. Also, this got attention again because of Inside, by Bo Burnham, where he mentions his sock puppet lives in liminal space when unused.
Sonia Bailey 4 years ago
None of these scared me either. They merely looked interesting or peaceful to me.
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Jan Jansen 4 years ago (edited)
When I was still a security guard I sometimes had to patrol an abandoned mental ward, built in the 1920's, at night. Flickering fluorecent lights, doors moving in the wind, old style isolation units and art-deco stained glass windows. Too bad I wasn't allowed to take pics. They would have fit nicely in this post.
Jan Jansen 4 years ago
When I was walking in there I tried not to think of the tremendous amount of suffering and suicides that had taken place within those walls. Also apparently during the war the 'undesirables' living in the ward got 'cleaned up' by the nazi's.
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Arctic Fox Lover 4 years ago
Oh gosh... thank you for the hellish experience, I enjoyed it all xD
Billy The Kid 4 years ago
Most of those pictures were scary. Those that took them photos sure have some guts!
Megan Forman 4 years ago
Ok I am a bit confused cuz so,e of these pictures make me uncomfortable and others made me calm. What is liminal supposed to mean?
Bernadette Circle 4 years ago
As it says in the article, it is a transitional space like a hallway or country road. There’s nothing really going on there and it is the ignored area when you go from Point A to Point B
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Vermillion Ace #443 4 years ago
😅 I enjoy a creepy and empty space here and there, it lets me turn my brain off for a bit.
Yehudit Hannah Cohn 4 years ago
I was impressed by the entries on this list--I almost upvoted all of them! This is a great collection, both because of the photos and the fact that it is rooted in something deep and primal but not mean. Thank you!
Isabella R.W. 4 years ago
I love liminal pictures, I find them very calming and interesting, not creepy at all. Something about them, If I just look at the picture long enough I feel like I'm there in the area.
DDmaybeandor 4 years ago
So glad I don't watch horror movies. Genuinely not triggered or shivering from any of these.
Giovanna 4 years ago
I LOVED it. The shining vibes all over. There must be a (genetic? Neurological?) reason why this kind of scenario scares us all
mph seti 4 years ago
It's mostly places were we're used to seeing other people. It's odd and unnerving to see them empty. A while back, I worked at a 24 hour Walmart. We only closed on Xmas eve. It was really bizarre being in there when it was devoid of customers. Airports after midnight, subway stations when the trains aren't running, an empty waiting room. All are a little spooky.
Load More Replies... Kenny Kulbiski 4 years ago
Enjoyed these. Some of them were weirdly inviting. Forbidden fruit?
Demi Zwaan 4 years ago
I still don’t understand it. These are just artistic pictures of empty places and interesting architecture. I see no transition between whatevers or anything weird. Also, this got attention again because of Inside, by Bo Burnham, where he mentions his sock puppet lives in liminal space when unused.
Sonia Bailey 4 years ago
None of these scared me either. They merely looked interesting or peaceful to me.
Load More Replies... Jan Jansen 4 years ago (edited)
When I was still a security guard I sometimes had to patrol an abandoned mental ward, built in the 1920's, at night. Flickering fluorecent lights, doors moving in the wind, old style isolation units and art-deco stained glass windows. Too bad I wasn't allowed to take pics. They would have fit nicely in this post.
Jan Jansen 4 years ago
When I was walking in there I tried not to think of the tremendous amount of suffering and suicides that had taken place within those walls. Also apparently during the war the 'undesirables' living in the ward got 'cleaned up' by the nazi's.
Load More Replies... Arctic Fox Lover 4 years ago
Oh gosh... thank you for the hellish experience, I enjoyed it all xD
Billy The Kid 4 years ago
Most of those pictures were scary. Those that took them photos sure have some guts!
Megan Forman 4 years ago
Ok I am a bit confused cuz so,e of these pictures make me uncomfortable and others made me calm. What is liminal supposed to mean?
Bernadette Circle 4 years ago
As it says in the article, it is a transitional space like a hallway or country road. There’s nothing really going on there and it is the ignored area when you go from Point A to Point B
Load More Replies... Vermillion Ace #443 4 years ago
😅 I enjoy a creepy and empty space here and there, it lets me turn my brain off for a bit.
Yehudit Hannah Cohn 4 years ago
I was impressed by the entries on this list--I almost upvoted all of them! This is a great collection, both because of the photos and the fact that it is rooted in something deep and primal but not mean. Thank you!
Isabella R.W. 4 years ago
I love liminal pictures, I find them very calming and interesting, not creepy at all. Something about them, If I just look at the picture long enough I feel like I'm there in the area.
DDmaybeandor 4 years ago
So glad I don't watch horror movies. Genuinely not triggered or shivering from any of these.
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