Liminal is a term that describes the state of being where one is in a transitional or initial stage of a process. In Anthropology, liminality can refer to a sense of ambiguity one can feel during times of transition. In both ancient and modern cultures, religious ceremonies and rituals can mark a significant age change in children or signify a person’s ongoing commitment to a moral ideology. The wearing of specific religious attire and the completion of religious rituals and rites can denote that an individual has crossed a threshold, such as from childhood to adulthood, or from believer to disciple.

In modern society, there are many social rites of passage that convey a sense of liminality. In north America, graduation ceremonies and events such as a senior prom can act as milestones and signify that an individual has crossed a threshold from student to practitioner, or from adolescent to young adult. In all social rites of passage there are ritualistic actions that involve specific attire, and celebratory behaviors such as queuing to receive a diploma, reveling and even dancing.

In context to the COVID-19 global pandemic, with the arrival of new variants threatening the health and well-being of millions, one can sense they are caught in a perpetual liminal state. Like religious and social rites, initial lock down and social distancing measures introduced rituals associated with vaccinations, swabbing, and testing. These measures also introduced distinct attire in the form of masks and PPE, and dramatically altered how individuals, families and communities celebrate holidays.

Though it can feel as though we remain in the initial stages of protecting ourselves against COVID-19, it has been nearly three years since the virus was detected and began infecting humankind. Regardless, life continued to move forward. Society adapted, but not yet entirely. Many individuals remain in disbelief, unwilling to accept the current state of the world. They refuse to fully accede to testing rituals, use of protective attire, and safety measures introduced alongside lockdowns.

In a different sense, elected officials and health professionals also struggle with disbelief. The evidence suggests that COVID-19 could remain endemic, like the common cold or flu. Some social distancing measures and associated rituals might no longer be necessary, or they could remain a part of daily life for the foreseeable future. There will be continued debate concerning the need for additional booster shots, and periodic lockdowns. The ambiguity and uncertainty have made it difficult to accept that the liminal nature of the pandemic has passed, and that society is seemingly stuck in the in-between stages of living with the virus. It is difficult to know what measures to hang on to, what measures to relax, and more importantly how to move forward.

In the text The Speculative Turn: Continental Materialism and Realism, editors Levi Bryant, Nick Srniceck and Graham Harman declare: “we can aim our thoughts at being, exist as beings-in-the-world, or have phenomenal experience of the world, yet we can never consistently speak about a realm independent of thought or language.” As artists it can be argued we can also never consistently speak about a realm independent artistic expression. Thus, in conjunction with thought and language, and speaking to the current pandemic realm in which we live, can art be created that conveys a sense of both having crossed thresholds and speak to the reality that though we have moved beyond the liminal, we are mired in the in-between.