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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!

#3

2020

2020

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joe
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No-one mentions how much better the traffic situation will be after the apocalypse, do they?

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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.”

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#4

No No No. Not Good

No No No. Not Good

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VoodooGirl78
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well the picture made me smile. However, I would NOT go in there.

Lanie
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Free hugs" should be pointing to this room. :)

Brandi VanSteenwyk
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Okay... I must concede that somewhere between Monday and today, Friday, I officially lost something of my sanity. Because I have to ask.... AM I MISSING SOMETHING HERE? Is this just a door that although designated as an entrance to a happy place actually invites one to Hell? Or am I missing something authentically Australian, Tazmanian, Arthur Fleckish???

NJWanderer
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/The_Smile_Room#:~:text=The%20Smile%20Room%2C%20also%20known,Canadian%20horror%20artist%20Trevor%20Henderson.&text=The%20%22door%22%2C%20in%20general,that%20has%20sharp%20crooked%20teeth.

Kristin Schwiebert
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Are there evil clowns/Smile "monsters" in there as well like in Dr. Who?

Rachael Blackwell
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think the real picture is from a long abandoned asylum. Some guys on YouTube were visiting it but the building is crumbling and looked extremely unsafe to explore.

Emperor Kitten
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Attention children! Unhappy children will henceforth be sent to the Smile Room.

Lisa Maria Christensen
Community Member
3 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

Jolie Irzyk
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Its like the doors that say -NOT SCARY-SCARY-REALLY SCARY- In IT

Jazelle
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This reminds me of the smile room are that Trevor Henderson did

Molly Block
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Straight out of a Stephen King novel! (PS: Spoiler Alert-----"Later" sucks!)

Sam rice
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Something tells me there weren't many smiles in there

Bobby
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I saw a place like this in Akron, OH that said something like "the place where clean, sober people hang out" could have been this places twin

KombatBunni
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That’s a oh hell no plus a huge nope no freakin way from me

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#5

Picture I Took A Few Years Ago In Poland

Picture I Took A Few Years Ago In Poland

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#6

It’s Christmas Eve And You’re All Alone

It’s Christmas Eve And You’re All Alone

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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.

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#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...

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...

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Bisexual Backflipping
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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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

Stay On The Light. They Won't Be Able To Get You If You're On The Light

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Kira Okah
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Darn caption, just did a game quest that required me to do that, was creepy enough in the game!

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#11

It's Not Safe To Go Outside But Inside Feels Haunted

It's Not Safe To Go Outside But Inside Feels Haunted

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Samantha Lomb
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

naah Just feels like literally any Eastern European apartment block. I can smell the cigarettes and cats

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#12

The Oval Office Between Us Presidents

The Oval Office Between Us Presidents

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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

This Memory Belongs To Everybody And Nobody

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Nigel Rodgers
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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😂🤣

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#15

The Entrance To The Infinity Pool. Once You Enter, There Is No Going Back

The Entrance To The Infinity Pool. Once You Enter, There Is No Going Back

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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

Lemme Get Some Uhhhhhhh

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#17

Only A Faint Hum And My Footsteps Can Be Heard.

Only A Faint Hum And My Footsteps Can Be Heard.

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Dhukath
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is the type of place where your instincts say no but you go anyway, then half way you hear footsteps, could be your echo or not! Do you go forward, backward or wait?

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#18

My Grandmother’s Basement

My Grandmother’s Basement

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#21

My Friend Was Tested For Covid, This Is The Room He Waited In

My Friend Was Tested For Covid, This Is The Room He Waited In

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#22

The Lower I Go, The Higher The Water Gets

The Lower I Go, The Higher The Water Gets

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#23

Empty Aquarium Restaurant, Made Me Feel Sad And Empty For Some Reason

Empty Aquarium Restaurant, Made Me Feel Sad And Empty For Some Reason

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#27

Feels Like I Shouldn't Turn Around. Just Keep Walking

Feels Like I Shouldn't Turn Around. Just Keep Walking

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#28

View From The Laundry Room Looks Fake

View From The Laundry Room Looks Fake

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#30

The Exam Will Take Place Down The Hall And To The Left, Good Luck

The Exam Will Take Place Down The Hall And To The Left, Good Luck

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#32

Driving To The Airport

Driving To The Airport

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Green Machine
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maybe I'm the only one, but I love fog and how it seems to transform places by changing nothing but the perspective.

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#34

Found An Artist Doing Some Pure Liminal

Found An Artist Doing Some Pure Liminal

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#36

An Old Pic I Forgot I Had On My Phone

An Old Pic I Forgot I Had On My Phone

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#37

A Nice Place To Make A Best Friend That You'll Never See Again

A Nice Place To Make A Best Friend That You'll Never See Again

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#38

Railway

Railway

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#41

Marte Marte Architects Presents Dramatic Exhibition Hall In Red And Black

Marte Marte Architects Presents Dramatic Exhibition Hall In Red And Black

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Hermien Greeff
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one is gorgeous! It just needs some oversized art and sculptures and someone handing out champagne.

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#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

The Infinity Room In The House On The Rock, Located Between The Cities Dodgeville And Spring Green, Wisconsin. The Room Is 218 Feet Long

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#47

Anchorage Grand Hotel

Anchorage Grand Hotel

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#48

Around The Corner

Around The Corner

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#50

Those Stairs Could Lead Anywhere Or Nowhere At All.

Those Stairs Could Lead Anywhere Or Nowhere At All.

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Paul Mckay
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Something tells me you walk up one set and appear walking down the others.

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#51

Nightclub

Nightclub

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#52

Pov: You Lost Your Mom On The Aquarium

Pov: You Lost Your Mom On The Aquarium

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