The Art Show Programming welcomed Lisa Jacobs to Hyatt Regency V on Friday 2:30PM for a discussion on Liminal Spaces. Part of a larger series, Jacobs gave members an overview of the concept of liminal space and key manifestations of it across art, architecture and media.

Liminal space refers to areas of transition. It is, according to Jacobs, “a time of waiting and not knowing the future.” An Internet aesthetic, at its heart, the concept refers to the presentation of spaces (created by design and expectation to be used and filled by people) as empty and vacant. Those spaces, hallways being the most common representation of it, when not filled with people, create a sense of tension, anxiety, and foreboding.

This kind of space, Jacobs points out, makes people very uncomfortable. There’s a physiological explanation for the phenomenon. The space fundamentally feels familiar, but it’s the lack of people that has an impact on the brain. It “trips the visio-spatial feedback” part of your brain. That creates a feeling of something being “off,” or just not right about the space. When you encounter liminal space, you’re experiencing a “sensory trigger.” She offered the example of walking into a ballroom used for Dragon Con when it’s completely still and empty. The feeling you get in that room is this “visio-spatial” feedback.

Liminal space, and the feelings it evokes are so powerful that they are common components of dreams. Jacobs refers to this as a “dream commonality.” We share these feelings to such a degree that they often can evoke déjà vu.

After defining the term, Jacobs then proceeded to review the work of key artists across media associated with the use of liminal space. The “big three” categories that drive this are architecture, art, and film. Because of the prominence of hallways in liminal art, Jacobs asked the members to look no further than the transitional space found in any of John Portman’s hotels here in Atlanta. Portman is, according to Jacobs, “kinda our con dad.” Portman’s work emphasized both horizontal and vertical lines. He used rectangular, cylindrical and cubic shapes in both symmetrical and asymmetrical compositions. Portman’s space tends to be free of elaborate ornaments or molding, instead supported by large windows in horizontal “bands.” His design focuses on open space, and he uses whites and creams to color them. Jacobs loves the transitional spaces that connect these hotels. The skywalks are classic illustrations of this. She also pointed out Portman’s use of “scoops,” facades that “tunnel people down.” These architectural elements are intended to emphasize the grandiosity of the building, but it also creates a sense of closeness as people move into the transition space.

In the medium of painting, you must begin with Edward Hopper. Often referred to as the “precursor to liminal art” he is known for his “lonely, urban scenes” and quiet moments. Often, his compositions capture transitional moments. His most famous example is Nighthawks. Produced in 1942, the oil on canvas portrays four people in a diner late at night. The viewer stands outside and gazes in. The scene is lit by the interior lights of the diner. The rest of the scene, an urban landscape, is empty. A defining piece of the American Realism movement, it is also a hallmark of liminal art.

In film, Jacobs begins and ends with Stanley Kubrick, and particularly his adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining (1980). Here Kubrick uses an extremely low perspective on hallways to create that famous effect. In many ways, the image of the abandoned hallway, looming threateningly before the viewer, defined the film. Kubrick used empty spaces to great effect, triggering that feedback repeatedly. A master of using liminal space in his films, you can also see him use it to great effect in his 1968 classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The liminal movement can be found across the full spectrum of art, and Jacobs encouraged members to explore them all. It was a fascinating hour.