In the Visual Culture Minor, I explored Liminality through three mediums and three public moments. What started as a simple curiousity, ended as an extensive rabbit hole. 

What started my curiousity in liminality, were the images which spread on the internet as the liminal space meme. 

Images of eerie and nostalgic spaces described as liminal and shared across platforms hit the internet with storm. A variety of images, depicting a variety of spaces, but all widely agreed to be giving the same liminal feeling by complete strangers on the internet.

I wanted to create my own version of these images. Using AI generation, I leaned into the artifacts of glitchy AI genderated imagery to lean into this eerie vibe of limianlity. 

The original images were taken from issue of the “de Architect” magazine. Even before being edited these images already captured liminal spaces, revealing the true nature of modern architecture. 

I used these images to create an interactive picture book exploring cities at night. 

The format for the book was inspired from the children’s books “Licht an!”, where transparent images are layered on a dark background to give the effect of darkness. By using a loose paper flashlight with a white circle as its spotlight, and layering it in-between the transparent image and black background, the darkened image can be explored.

Accompanied with a short sentence on each page, I inspired the narrative on my personal experiences walking through Rotterdam at night. I have always had a fascination for cities at night and how they completely change in the course of a few hours. Taking walks at night and letting my thoughts wander is a way I have dealt with anxiety and depression. 

For the next public moment, we were to hold a radio program, with each person allocated a length of time to present their sound piece. 

I decided to create a sound which lied somewhere in-between music and an abstract soundscape. Using synthesizer plug-ins I explored abstract noises and made beats. Layering a variety of sounds in combination with moments of stillness was especially successful in creating a liminal audio experience.

On my phone, I found an audio recording from the 15th of September labeled “Dream 1”. Upon listening to this audio I discovered my own voice recalling a dream I had just had. In a half-asleep state I talk about the events and people from my dream. With no memory of recording this audio, I found it perfect to capture liminality and it became the loose lyrics to my song.

Liminal spaces are often linked to the uncanny valley phenomenon. When we recognize a familiar environment, but see it in a different time than expected, whether it be after closing hours or once it’s abandoned, there is a contextual exploration of this space and it becomes uncanny. This could be a school after closing hours or an abandoned mall. 

For my final creation for this project, I wanted to create a liminal space of my own. Analyzing my life, I questioned what spaces I contextually explore, visiting them in a different time than expected. That’s when I had the idea to build a toilet stall.

As someone who suffers from anxiety, the toilet stall in public buildings have become the space to I go if I’m having a panic attack. For everyone, bathrooms have become the space to find privacy in public and find peace, express emotions, do graffiti, gossip, scroll on your phone, have sex, do drugs and all the other deeply human experiences.


For my installation I wanted to explore this contextual relationship to the toilet by building a toilet-stall for the installation. Encouraging people to misuse this space, I wanted to design a toilet purely for the purpose of doing graffiti. 

Building the walls out of stretched-out canvas, I was able to create a toilet stall, not for urinating or defecating, but for creating art.