Posts Tagged → liminal

Liminal Fiumicino

Jeffrey Smart, Fiumicino Bypass, 1966

Jeffrey Smart, Fiumicino Bypass, 1966

In recent weeks I’ve been working on a piece connecting liminal aesthetics with painting traditions of the past, including Metaphysical painting and Magical Realism, and I happened to come across the work of Jeffrey Smart (1921–2013), an Australian artist. He made several paintings inspired by the coastal town of Fiumicino near Rome (places that are extremely familiar to me since childhood) distilling them into scenes of crisp geometry and eerie quiet.
The one with the stop sign immediately made me think of one of the most famous liminal images that circulate online (also referenced in Kane Parsons’ Backrooms movie).


Pools

“The main thing about the game is to look around and listen to the sounds. It’s not about winning or losing. One could say it’s like an art gallery where you walk around and feel the atmosphere. The game has no monsters chasing you or jumping suddenly towards you. There are very few things to solve, practically a few mazes. Sometimes the game can challenge your navigation skills. But mostly you’re just exploring.”