Liminal Beings

Liminal Beings is a virtual exhibition created by participants in the Socially Distant Artist Residency program. The Artists in Residence are exploring the ambiguity of liminal space, while integrating accessibility into both the exhibit’s curatorial foundation and the artwork itself.

When we are neither here nor there, we are in the ambiguity of liminal space. Liminality is a  window between presence and absence, past and future, visible and unseen, call and response. Changes have come thick and fast over the past year, drastically shifting perspectives, routines and social roles. Physical isolation has closed many doors and connections, while virtual communities have created and opened up others. Our self-awareness and collective conscience hangs in between expansion and contraction. How do we navigate the threshold between what falls away and what we move towards?

Liminal Beings is a virtual exhibition created by participants in the Socially Distant Artist Residency program, which began in response to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated social distancing practices. The exhibition is an extension of work in which we investigate introspection, loneliness, solitude, social (dis)connection experienced by the Artists in Residence during this time. 

As we create new meaning, while moving among a variety of artistic modes, we examine how ideas, behaviors, and expressions evolve. Multiple ways of engagement with the artwork  can open new layers of insight and even uncertainty. Critical to our exploration is presenting the artwork accessibly. With a focus on components such as image descriptions, captioning/subtitles, and alt text, we aim to make the exhibition as robustly accessible. These elements are integral parts of both the artwork and the exhibit as a whole, as these are not merely add-ons, but a thoughtful part of the exhibition’s curatorial foundation.

Image Description: A close-up of a clean white gallery wall. Cropped awkwardly in the top of the grainy photo, a gold, ornate antique frame casts overlapping shadows in blue, grey, and deep purple. The frame radiates warmth, while multiple jagged silhouettes shift and dance on the wall just below.