Robert Gehring

Liminal




Liminal explores the realm of the unsettling, but comforting; empty, but habited; unknown, but familiar. These conflicting feelings are brought about through the act of inhabiting the liminal spaces; spaces existing on the precipice of stability. This action builds tension and allows the photographs to exist on the border of these opposing emotions. Within these quiet spaces, there is a single, seated figure who generates the source of the tension. While the spaces look like ones we know, the emptiness fosters a sense of strangeness. Additionally, the lone figure accentuates the psychological bounds that these photographs rest on.

As the viewer looks at the photographs, they will be left with questions; “What is the figure doing there? Why are they sitting? Where are these photos taken?” These questions, and any others the viewer may come up with, allow them to begin a phycological exploration. Through this exploration, I want the viewer to begin a discussion with themselves and finally ask, “Why am I asking these questions?”.