# Liminal Spaces
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The aesthetic often referred to as *liminal* has aroused my interest of late. In anthropology the term relates to the ambiguity or disorientation that occurs in the middle stage of a rite of passage[^1]. In aesthetics it has come to also include the notion of transition between two locations or states of being[^2].

My introduction to liminal spaces began with [r/liminalspace](https://www.reddit.com/r/LiminalSpace/), and inevitably progressed to the *backrooms* creepy pasta. This led me to discover the works of [Kane Pixels](https://www.youtube.com/@kanepixels) and [A-Sync Research](https://www.youtube.com/@ASyncResearch) which I must say are excellent examples of the quality of work the internet can produce if left to it's own devices. There is much more if you care to look and the depth of narrative is refreshing in a world intent on feeding us bland and tasteless content.

This week I stumbled across the [Liminal Archives](http://liminal-archives.wikidot.com/) which expands this internet generate fictional universe beyond the backrooms. I must say this reminds me of the early 2000's when I experienced the tail end of the Sci Fi online RPG/Sim collaborative writing projects. Fans across the world uniting in vBulletin forums to create their own fan-fiction. The project represents a collaboration of many different authors. 

Yet this particular aesthetic seems to be a movement away from the optimistic future that the Sci-Fi shows of the 90's and early 00's had to offer. Instead there is a more Lovecraftian sense of dread blended with the bland and clinical 80's and 90's office life. Almost as though we came to realise the utopic future we were promised was never to be.

As to the notion of liminal experiences I certainly can relate. As a nerd I often arrived at school considerably early and would hurriedly make my way down eerie corridors to the Library or Computer room. I still remember feeling like I was being watched. Like I was out of place and trespassing. 

Within life it is often the case that we find ourselves experiencing the present as a transition between the old man and the new man. The present as a perpetual state of liminality between our past and present. As such liminality seems to transcend gender, age and culture. The state of dislocation is something we all seem to taste at one time or other.

[^1]: See [Wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liminality)
[^2]: See [Aesthetics Wiki](https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Liminal_Space)