4 ms·
Calling liminalism the "defining" aesthetic of our time is a bit much (though I get the article is trying to hitch its wagon to the Backrooms, aka the "current
by dvt 4mo ago
Calling liminalism the "defining" aesthetic of our time is a bit much (though I get the article is trying to hitch its wagon to the Backrooms, aka the "current popular thing"). It's an aesthetic microniche, about as popular as vaporwave, or cyberpunk, grunge, or Y2K (think flip phones, bulky plastic cameras, etc.). There's a ton of these, and some are surprising: for example, there's even been a relatively recent revival of the "old-money" aesthetic, especially motivated by fashion brands like Rowing Blazers, etc.
- appplication 4mo agoI thought similarly, but the article actually was published prior to Backrooms movie release and popularity, though there is a nod they were aware the concept was being optioned to A24. Though I agree, “defining” might be a bit strong.
- krackers 4mo agoThe same art world (or more specifically the "Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute") also named "Frutiger Aero" the defining aesthetic of 2000s, even though it was really only seen in a few places (Aqua aesthetic is very different from Aero). All of this should probably be taken with grains of salt.
- keiferski 4mo agoThere is no “official opinion” of the art world. These are just different organizations with their own opinions.
- timr 4mo agoIn fact, when you see someone in the art world claiming that X is a "defining" anything, it usually means that they have a big collection of X for sale. In this case, I imagine it's submarine marketing for the movie that's out.
- picofarad 4mo agoSubmarine? Astro-turf or native-advertising, maybe? Or perhaps I misunderstood.
- timr 4mo agoBasically the same. An “article” planted by a PR firm, where the promotional target just happens to pop up about halfway through.
- hax0ron3 4mo agoI'm not sure this magazine is nearly popular enough for that to be worth it.
- RugnirViking 4mo agohacker news is, though. I'd be interested to see if the same article has been posted to two dozen subreddits etc (though not so interested as to actually do anything about it lol)
- sph 4mo agoI never got why Frutiger Aero got so popular as a ‘nostalgic’ aesthetic, when it’s basically the Windows Vista, GNOME 3 (the awful rewrite of GNOME 2), KDE 4.0 (the buggy, emo black rewrite of KDE 3) look? It was the lowest point of computer graphics. Who the hell is nostalgic for that? Probably just kids that had their formative years in those ~2-3 years. Not sure you can even call it a niche. I’m a fan on the vaporwave/Windows 2000/XP aesthetic, the Vista era is when everything started going to shit.
- satvikpendem 4mo agoWell yes, nostalgia is based on age. The people who are nostalgic for that grew up with those sorts of UI.
- fhars 4mo agoYeah, even nostalgia is no longer what it used to be... Welcome to old age :-).
- richardjdare 4mo agoIts fascinating to me. I grew up in the UK home computer scene of the mid 80s-early 90s. After this, the Frutiger Aero aesthetic seemed to me redolent of the total corporatization of what previously seemed a much more human and approachable computer world. Now everything was behind glass, impossibly polished by unfathomable, expensive machines. I found it totally alienating.
- Modified3019 4mo agoSame, I hated when everything transitioned to it and became harder to read as a result. Frutiger Aero was a sterile sort of cheerful in a way only a CEO could think was relatable. It basically marked the turning point where the UI stopped being something janky that felt human made, into a mass produced corporate template. Looking at it felt like the visual equivalent of licking soap. Every time I see it now, I can only think “good riddance”.
- tobr 4mo agoIs CARI part of the ”art world”? Where have CARI said that Frutiger Aero was ”the defining” aesthetic of 2000s? They are working to identify many different aesthetic trends that existed in parallel, not one that defines each decade. Their description of Frutiger Aero explicitly includes Aqua, both mentioned by name and included visually: https://www.are.na/consumer-aesthetics-research-institute/frutiger-aero-ptg8tgmzbig https://www.are.na/consumer-aesthetics-research-institute/fr...
- esperent 4mo agoAlso, for places metro stations/gyms it's more of a maintenance and hygiene thing rather than an aesthetic. I'm currently in Paris so I've seen a ton of metro stations recently and really, unless you arrived in the dead of night so that you could snap an empty photo like the one in the article, there's nothing much liminal about them. A space can't be liminal if it's packed with people, buskers, beggars, dogs, etc. In that case, what it is is minimal or functional.
- Schlagbohrer 4mo agoBut the abandonment of a place which should be filled with life is a huge aspect of the liminal art movement. It speaks to the hollowing out of public life in north america and britain.
- no-name-here 4mo agoIs the abandonment of places that should be filled with life a defining aspect of today? Which places? Malls & COVID? I guess they exist but are they especially prevalent today?
- idiotsecant 4mo agoYes, a lot of public spaces are dying or dead. If you don't have these spaces in your area you are certainly the only exception.
- no-name-here 4mo ago> a lot of public spaces are dying or dead How are you quantifying that? Is there somewherei can go to read about it?
- Schlagbohrer 4mo agoI can just go walk around my hometown of Seattle and see all the dead or torn-down shopping malls.
- acidhousemcnab 4mo agoAnti-space, no space, nothingness - annihilation.
- gosub100 4mo agobland-ness, anti-self-expression, fear of being 'called-out'
- acidhousemcnab 4mo agoaccepted and transduce'd transgression, creeping nihilisms, sink plug hole funnel
- deleted 4mo ago[deleted]
- Trasmatta 4mo agoLiminialism is way way more popular these days than cyberpunk or anything like that. Please go talk to a group of teenagers if you don't believe me.
- lenerdenator 4mo agoAll of the ones you list have one thing in common: They have at least some root in nostalgia.
- aaron695 4mo ago[dead]