The Beauty of Nostalgic Liminal Spaces

PatMac Video 2 years ago

Description

During many moments in our lives, we hit a turning point. A state of transition we can't turn back from. One way we've found to convey this is through what are known as "liminal spaces". Areas that represent those weird eras in our lives where we feel stuck between... really, anything. Physically, mentally, metaphorically, as long as something is moving from state A to state B, it can be liminal. These spaces can be pretty much anywhere, but they all give off that same weird vibe. They can be nostalgic, melancholy, fascinating, and so much more. They're like time capsules in the form of archeology, and are all very cool.

Sources:
-Playlist of additional videos on liminal spaces, sources of footage used, and music used: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd9K3Vyfq1xd8DETW-G4hplK9mm8TOlch
-A majority of photographs were sourced from https://www.reddit.com/r/LiminalSpace/
-This awesome page with lots of cool photos found while making this: https://youre-dreaming-302.tumblr.com/
-The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is where the definitions for a majority of the words such as anemoia, kenopsia, hypnagogia and sonder are cited from.
-SpongeBob artwork in the thumbnail and end screen were commissioned by the artist Aerobian-Angel, amazing work as always. Bob is truly mystified by the lost Mexico Mario 64 theme park.

This type of imagery has inspired lots of great artists over the years, and that is something that was skipped over in this video. I focused more on the real world locations for the most part, but the works of liminal artists is also very breathtaking and worth looking into. Also, the definition of liminal space is very flexible and for the sake of including more personal nostalgic entries, I was very loose with what I considered. The definition isn't perfectly defined, so I recommend you decide what you want to figure as a liminal space, as it is so personal, and under the right circumstances, pretty much any space can become liminal. I also wanted to focus on purely liminal spaces, which is why the backrooms were only lightly covered, but they themselves are also very neat.

This video is being uploaded on New Year's Eve 2023! Going into the new year itself is a transitional period, so it can also be considered liminal, so I guess this is a new years special. In any case, to everyone who is reading this, have a good 2024!

This video was made in appreciation of the aesthetical art form and the ideas it represents, I hope this brings the concept to even more people and inspires more discussion. I do not take credit for any of the photos used in this video, or even really any of the ideas, this is just a topic I've liked for many years and wanted to make something about. Thanks for watching!