New years is a time of liminality, of barriers and of new beginnings. In the western hemisphere it is also a time of transition between the darkness of winter, and the light of spring, between snow and flowers. Greyness is in and off itself a form of liminality, between black and white, and often seen as an allegory for moral and ethical ambiguity.
I find something beautiful in the gray, and the collection of pictures I took represents some different aspects of grayness, and once I found one aspect of gray beauty, I kept finding more and more.
These images were taken as me and my friend were traveling and exploring an industrial complex close to where I live, much of which is still under construction. Both qualities were further added to the liminality of the shots I took the day’s images. The factories were mostly empty this close to the holidays, though many of the lights in the offices and the company glowing labels were still fully lit.
The unfinished nature of many of the buildings, as well as the fenced off areas further cemented the feeling that this is a place in transition, as well as a place that only a few are welcome.
As we walked further and further, more and more construction became apparent. As well as the grays of the construction sites, slowly making way for the darker greens and grays of the surrounding forests. Mist rising from the endless horizons of wooded hills in the distance.
The gray grewever more apparent and dominating in the sky as the day passed on towards night. The mists rising from the forest, indicating that the temperature was slowly but surely rising, as the dew rose into mist, joining the clouds above.
As we walked, the sun started to set, and the mists started to rise ticker and ticker, blurring colors and making the horizon blend more and more with the sky. The lights started to glow brighter and more and more street lights started to glow, giving the scenes an even more eerie feeling.
The wilder nature and the city share many liminal spaces, where the farmed forests of energy trees meet the suburbs in unplanned clusters of trees and bushes and greenery. These spaces are everywhere, and very easy to miss, but they are often defined by their lack of human involvement, as well as their wide variety of plants and, if you are lucky, animals.
Final thoughts of the year
As I was taking these photos, and writing this text, I was in the process of moving from my home of several years and going back to my hometown, to hopefully be able to follow my dreams. So in many ways, these pictures also resemble a liminality for myself, and my life, as I am waiting to leave my old life, and move towards my new, and hopefully better life.
I hope to be able to share more essays, photo collections and a lot more in the coming years, I hope to see you all there!
An Unused Frequency 