Photographs | Sacred Village

When I was in college I became enamored with the concept of liminality. Liminality is an anthropological and folkloric concept that helps us understand the importance of ritual and transitional space. A wedding is a liminal event because it facilitates the transition from two separate individuals to one unified household; a beach is liminal because it is the border place between water and land; midnight is liminal because it is that spot between one day and the next. Since a liminal space or event is by definition neither one set thing or another, it holds a vast amount of potential–anything can happen during the witching hour, and who wants to step inside a fairy ring and take a chance on what happens?

And so I’m looking more at the metaphor–and, esoterically, the process–of “create”. I took this picture while vacationing at an adorable cabin on Keuka Lake. We had kind of terrible weather for most of the trip; it was rainy and grey, not a good time for novice canoers like my boyfriend and I to get into the boat that came with the rental, but it was a great time to completely slow down and look at what was around. When we could, we wandered down the hill and onto our dock. When I snapped this picture I thought it was kind of cool, when I saw how it turned out I was struck by how liminally symbolic it is. There’s George, at the edge of the dock (a border space), looking into the fog (which is inherently liminal; is it air or water?).

For me, this image captures what you do before you create something–you stand at the vast edge of your imagination, wide open and full of potential, and determine which way to go next. Do you dive in? If so, then whatever happens? Happens.

Check out the other participants in the Weekly Photo Challenge here.

And below are some of my particular favorites, thus far:

http://joycannis.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/weekly-photo-challenge-create/

http://marantophotography.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/weekly-photo-challenge-create/

http://annarashbrook.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/weekly-photo-challenge-create/

http://justfletcher.wordpress.com/

http://iaggelidaki.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/weekly-photo-challenge-make-art/

http://disorderlychickadee.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/weekly-photo-challenge-create/

http://beeblu.wordpress.com/2012/06/24/weekly-photo-challenge-create/

http://berkshireviews.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/weekly-photo-challenge-create-2/

http://seraphim6.me/2012/06/24/weekly-photo-challenge-create/

http://cocomino.wordpress.com/2012/06/24/weekly-photo-challenge-create-making-bamboo-chopsticks/