Yu Tsukada | Is it okay to dive deep? Is it okay to stay deep? -- "Liminal Space: A New Aesthetics of Horror" (Part 2)
This article discusses "Liminal Space: A New Aesthetics of Horror," linking the absence of windows and deep immersion to modern interiors and spiritualized visual experience.Summary
This second part of the analysis on "Liminal Space: A New Aesthetics of Horror" re-examines liminal spaces through the characteristic of the "absence of windows." This absence signifies the absence of the exterior, where the view beyond the window is either nothingness, as seen in René Magritte's work, or clearly artificial. The exploration thus turns inward rather than outward, symbolized by the story of Sarah Winchester, whose labyrinthine home forced a descent into solitude. Liminal space, in this sense, is equated with the modern concept of 'interior,' signifying a dive into the human psyche. This desire to dive deep is reflected in internet memes concerning the layered descent into the Backrooms, suggesting a contemporary style of interior conceptualization. Furthermore, by referencing discussions on the autonomy of ghosts in surveillance footage, the author posits that associations surrounding liminal space resonate with the "spiritualization of the experience of seeing the world." Gazing into these human-absent spaces immerses the observer into a fictionalized 'interiority.'
(Source：artscape)