What Are Liminal Spaces?

Liminal spaces refer to an internet aesthetic centered on depicting built environments that evoke a sense of unease, nostalgia, or surrealism. These images typically feature places associated with passage or temporary use, such as empty corridors, deserted shopping malls, vacant schools, or dimly lit basements. The core characteristic is the striking absence of people, activity, or the usual context one would expect in such settings, transforming familiar locations into something uncanny and unsettling.

The term "liminal" itself comes from the Latin word "limen," meaning "threshold." In anthropology, liminality describes a transitional phase, a state of being "betwixt and between" one stage and another. While the online aesthetic borrows this concept, its application is broader, extending to any space that feels ambiguous, deserted, or strangely out of time. The visual impact often plays on our expectations, as a place designed for human interaction is shown completely devoid of it, creating a psychological void.

The appeal of liminal spaces lies in their ability to tap into a range of complex emotions. Viewers might experience a profound sense of nostalgia, recalling similar places from their past, or a deep unease stemming from the unsettling emptiness. This blend of familiarity and alienation is central to the aesthetic's power. It can feel both comforting, due to the recognizable elements, and disturbing, because of the missing human element that usually gives these places purpose and life.

The aesthetic gained significant traction online around 2019, particularly through platforms like 4chan, Reddit, and Tumblr. It became closely associated with The Backrooms, an urban legend that emerged from an image of a strangely empty, yellow-carpeted office space. The popularity of liminal spaces further surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, when real-world lockdowns led to widespread images of unusually deserted public areas, mirroring the aesthetic's core theme.

Key Facts About Liminal Spaces

Internet Aesthetic: A popular online trend focusing on specific types of imagery.
Built Environments: Primarily depicts man-made structures like hallways, malls, schools, and waiting rooms.
Absence of Presence: A defining characteristic is the lack of people, activity, or expected context.
Evokes Complex Emotions: Can trigger feelings of unease, nostalgia, surrealism, comfort, or sadness.
Anthropological Roots: Name derived from the concept of "liminality" (a state of transition), though its online use is broader.
Rise to Prominence (2019): Gained significant online traction on platforms like 4chan, Reddit, and Tumblr.
Associated with The Backrooms: Closely linked to the viral urban legend that emerged in 2019.
Pandemic Popularity: Saw a surge in interest during the COVID-19 lockdowns due to widespread images of empty public spaces.
Psychological Impact: Linked to concepts like "failure of presence" and the "uncanny valley" in architectural perception.
Global Online Community: Supported by large online communities on Reddit (r/LiminalSpace), Twitter, and TikTok.
Influences Media: Has inspired horror films, video games, and TV series, demonstrating its cultural impact.

Full Explanation of Liminal Spaces

The Psychology Behind the Uncanny Feeling

The unsettling nature of liminal spaces often stems from a deep-seated psychological response to environments that defy our expectations. One key concept is the "failure of presence," as described by Peter Heft, drawing on the work of philosopher Mark Fisher. This refers to the eeriness that arises when a familiar setting, like a schoolhouse or a shopping mall, is presented without its expected human activity. Our brains are wired to associate these places with bustling life, noise, and social interaction. When these elements are absent, the space feels incomplete, like a stage set waiting for actors who never arrive, creating a profound sense of emptiness and unease.

Another psychological phenomenon at play is the "uncanny valley" effect, typically applied to robotics or CGI characters that are almost, but not quite, human. Psychologists Alexander Diel and Michael Lewis found that deviations from familiar architectural patterns can produce a similar uncanny response in built environments. When a space looks familiar but subtly wrong—perhaps too clean, too empty, or too perfectly symmetrical—it triggers a cognitive dissonance. This slight deviation from the norm can make the environment feel alien or even threatening, despite its apparent harmlessness, because it challenges our ingrained understanding of what a "normal" space should be.

The absence of human activity in these spaces creates a void that can be both fascinating and disturbing. It strips away the social context that usually defines our interaction with public places, forcing us to confront the raw, unadorned architecture. This can lead to introspection, a feeling of being lost, or even a primal sense of vulnerability, as if one is alone in a place designed for many. The silence and stillness amplify these feelings, making the viewer acutely aware of the space's potential, now unfulfilled.

The Role of Nostalgia and Memory

Beyond the uncanny, liminal spaces often evoke a powerful sense of nostalgia. Many of the depicted environments—such as old schools, abandoned malls, or retro-styled waiting rooms—are relics of past eras. When viewers encounter these images, they might be reminded of their own childhoods, past experiences, or a simpler time. This triggers a bittersweet feeling: comfort from the familiarity of the visual cues, mixed with sadness or longing for a time that has passed or a memory that is just out of reach.

This blend of comfort and unease is central to the aesthetic's appeal. The familiar visual cues act as an invitation for viewers to project their own personal memories and experiences onto the otherwise contextless scenes. The emptiness allows for a blank canvas, enabling individual interpretation and emotional connection. This phenomenon is sometimes linked to the concept of kenopsia, which describes the eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that is usually bustling with people but is now deserted and quiet.

The aesthetic taps into a universal human experience of transition and memory. We all pass through countless liminal spaces in our lives—waiting rooms before important appointments, hallways between classes, deserted playgrounds after hours. These places hold the echoes of past events and future possibilities. When presented in their empty, stripped-down form, they become powerful symbols of change, loss, and the passage of time, resonating deeply with our personal histories and collective unconscious.

Architectural Elements and Visual Cues

The specific architectural elements and visual cues are crucial to creating the liminal space effect. Common settings include long, empty corridors, deserted stairwells, vast, vacant lobbies, and abandoned recreational facilities like swimming pools or gymnasiums. These are places designed for movement and temporary occupation, not for lingering, and their emptiness highlights this transient nature.

Lighting plays a significant role, often featuring harsh, artificial fluorescent lights that cast an unsettling, sterile glow. This type of lighting can flatten shadows and create an unnatural ambiance, contributing to the surreal quality. Colors are frequently muted, desaturated, or employ specific palettes that feel dated or institutional, such as the distinctive yellow carpets and beige walls famously associated with The Backrooms. Repetitive patterns, endless hallways, and a lack of distinguishing features can create a sense of disorientation and being trapped in an infinite loop.

The composition of liminal space imagery often emphasizes perspective and depth, drawing the viewer into the scene. Wide-angle shots or long, receding corridors enhance the feeling of vastness and isolation. The absence of clutter, personal items, or any signs of recent human activity further reinforces the sense of abandonment. These visual strategies combine to create environments that feel both familiar and alien, inviting contemplation while simultaneously provoking a subtle sense of dread or wonder.

History of Liminal Spaces

Anthropological Roots

The concept of "liminality" originates in anthropology, long before its internet aesthetic counterpart. The term was first introduced by French ethnographer Arnold van Gennep in his 1909 work, *Les rites de passage* (The Rites of Passage). Van Gennep observed that many cultural rituals involved three distinct phases: separation from the old state, a transitional or liminal phase, and finally, reaggregation or incorporation into a new state. The liminal phase was characterized by ambiguity, a lack of clear social status, and a sense of being "in-between."

Later, British anthropologist Victor Turner expanded on van Gennep's work, particularly in the 1960s. Turner emphasized the psychological and social aspects of the liminal state, describing it as a period of intense reflection, humility, and communitas (a sense of shared experience among those undergoing the transition). While the modern internet aesthetic doesn't always directly involve a ritualistic transition, it draws on this core idea of being in a state of ambiguity, on the threshold of something, or in a place that feels neither here nor there.

Emergence of the Online Aesthetic (2019)

The internet aesthetic of liminal spaces began to coalesce and gain widespread recognition around 2019. Users on various online platforms, including 4chan, Reddit, and Tumblr, started sharing images that fit this particular mood. These images often depicted mundane, everyday locations that, when stripped of human presence, took on an eerie or dreamlike quality. The shared experience of recognizing this specific feeling among users helped to define and popularize the aesthetic.

A pivotal moment in the aesthetic's development was the emergence of The Backrooms urban legend. In May 2019, an anonymous user on 4chan's /x/ (paranormal) board posted an image of a strangely empty, yellow-carpeted room lit by fluorescent lights. Another user responded with a chilling description of an infinite, non-Euclidean maze of empty rooms that one could enter by "noclipping" (passing through solid objects) out of reality. This concept perfectly encapsulated the liminal aesthetic, combining the unsettling emptiness with a narrative of being trapped in a transitional, inescapable space, and quickly went viral.

COVID-19 Pandemic's Impact

The popularity of liminal spaces received a significant boost during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in early 2020. As lockdowns and social distancing measures were implemented globally, public spaces that were normally bustling with activity—shopping malls, airports, schools, city streets—became eerily deserted. Photographs and videos of these empty locations circulated widely online, providing real-world examples that perfectly mirrored the core themes of the liminal space aesthetic.

This unexpected alignment between the online aesthetic and real-world experience resonated deeply with many. The images of empty public spaces during the pandemic evoked a collective sense of unease, isolation, and a strange, shared nostalgia for a pre-pandemic world. This period saw a massive spike in interest, with online communities dedicated to liminal spaces growing exponentially as people sought to understand and share these unsettling yet compelling visuals.

Growth and Mainstream Recognition

Following the pandemic's initial impact, the liminal spaces aesthetic continued its rapid growth. Dedicated online communities flourished; by November 2022, the subreddit r/LiminalSpace boasted over 500,000 members, while the Twitter account @SpaceLiminalBot, which posts liminal imagery, had over 1.2 million followers. On TikTok, the hashtag #liminalspaces accumulated billions of views, indicating its widespread appeal across different demographics and platforms.

The aesthetic's influence also began to permeate mainstream media. Kane Parsons's found-footage Backrooms web series, which expanded on the original 4chan legend, gained critical acclaim and was eventually adapted into an A24 feature film. Other media, such as the 2025 film *Exit 8* (based on a video game) and the 2022 horror film *Skinamarink*, have been cited as examples of liminal-space horror. Even popular TV shows like *Severance* have acknowledged the Backrooms and the broader liminal aesthetic as influences, demonstrating its significant cultural footprint and its evolution from an niche internet trend to a recognized artistic and psychological phenomenon.

Why Liminal Spaces Matter

Liminal spaces, as an internet aesthetic, matter because they offer a unique lens through which to understand contemporary culture, psychology, and the impact of digital spaces. They are more than just eerie pictures; they are a reflection of shared human experiences and anxieties in a rapidly changing world.

Firstly, they serve as a powerful cultural reflection. The aesthetic taps into a collective unease about modern urban environments, the feeling of alienation in highly structured yet impersonal spaces, and perhaps even a subconscious longing for simpler times. In an increasingly connected world, the depiction of profound emptiness can highlight our dependence on social interaction and the discomfort we feel when it's absent.

Secondly, liminal spaces provide a fascinating avenue for psychological exploration. They allow individuals to safely confront and process feelings of unease, nostalgia, and the unknown. By presenting familiar settings in an unfamiliar context, they challenge our perceptions and invite introspection, prompting us to consider the deeper meanings and emotional resonance of the places we inhabit daily. This engagement with the uncanny can be both unsettling and cathartic.

Thirdly, the aesthetic has become a significant source of artistic and creative inspiration. It has influenced various forms of media, from horror films and video games to photography and digital art. Creators use the visual language of liminal spaces to evoke specific moods, build suspense, or explore themes of isolation, memory, and existential dread, demonstrating its versatility as a creative tool.

Finally, the phenomenon of liminal spaces highlights the power of digital culture and community building. Despite depicting isolation and emptiness, the aesthetic has fostered vast online communities where people connect over shared feelings and interpretations. This demonstrates how internet trends can emerge organically, evolve, and create new forms of collective meaning and shared experience, bridging individual psychological responses with a global digital dialogue.