Does anyone recall Tumblr? Not for the omnipresent NSFW content but for hosting one of the most extensively followed, shared, and imitated monothematic blogs ever on the platform. Any guesses? Here’s a clue: it was featuring a continuous stream of photographs where one dear leader was simply looking at things! Nothing less, nothing more, just observing various objects; pasta, fish, tiles, underwear, cows, veggies, books, etc.. Kim Jong Il Looking at Things by João Rocha was a legend! Not because of the leader himself, but for the unexpected twist of the propaganda and the increasingly surreal humor of the nature of the photographs.

artist: liminal.spaices

No Tumblr today, but let’s move onto today’s featured artist: liminal.spaices. Paste in the URL of their Instagram portfolio, and you might find a familiar impression washing over you as you scroll through their creations. Instead of Kim, however, we’re presented with someone else simply observing things! But here, it’s not about the watcher, it is about the view. It all contributes to providing the viewer with an immensely satisfying experience of appreciating the scenery. The almost clinical presentation of the images, along with the expertly crafted lighting arrangements and the ordinary essence of the displayed objects and buildings, all come together harmoniously.

artist: liminal.spaices

One has to appreciate the consequence in which the artist is staging their work. Scroll as far as you can, and the unique color-grading, shades and tones will be equally pleasing, warm, welcoming and truly mesmerizing. With the scenery as mysterious as it can, and that slightly unsettling yet addictive vibe, no wonder the artistic pseudo. The aesthetics of liminal spaces is pretty much based on images capturing transitional zones devoid of human activity, like early morning malls, casinos, deep woods, vacant parking lots or empty hotel lobbies and hallways in the middle of the night. The allure may be attributed to their static and somewhat baffling scenery, as well as the unspecified feeling of familiarity they evoke. Who has not been at lease once afraid of walking up the empty street come night or deep in to the woods all alone?! Now you get it.

liminal.spaices, however has decided to slightly twist the basic nature of liminal aesthetics. Not a single creation appears devoid of the most innate spatial reference: a human presence. On one side, the observer unexpectedly becomes the observed; on the other, this dynamic fosters a strong sense of personal connection. A simple, yet very interesting move is enabling viewers to step into the depicted scene, experience the space in their own way, and either feel a sense of belonging and comfort or a tinge of isolation and solitude. What will your way be?

Now it’s your turn. Slip on some headphones, press play on Somei Satosh’s “Mandara,” and explore liminal.spaices‘ creations right here. Enjoy the journey.

artist: liminal.spaices