Living a week in 2009 (liminal photoshoot dump!)

Introduction

Hello and welcome everyone!!

Last week I was lucky enough to go visit again one of my childhood holiday spots. I haven't been there in about 10 years, and the first time I ever went was all the way back in 2009. I was only two by then, but it was enough for me to develop faint memories that I still cherish in my mind and came back to me in dreams multiple times.

So, this was going to be another family holiday like the old times - especially during the first two days where my aunt and uncle joined us and stayed in our same mobile home.

I decided to use the occasion to try and recreate the same feeling I had living as a child - so going through the same places, feelings and joy. Putting down my phone and barely using it was also extremely helpful.

This was very easy as Lignano Sabbiadoro, the city where the village is located (Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy) is one of the most liminal areas I have ever seen to this day; most of it was built and enriched during the 90's-2000's to welcome tourists, and so the architecture, spaces and vibes had pretty much stayed the same since then, and everywhere you look you can find an interesting spot.

So, to have something to remember this experience, I decided to take pictures of all the liminal spaces I would see as if I was taking pictures of my own memories. To do that I used an old canon portable camera my grandpa gifted me when I was little.

I took about 150 pictures in total, but I've selected only the best ones for this blog post!!

Feel free to skip the captions if you want, but I recommend reading them! They are connected to my personal memories of each of these places and add much to the shots!

Thank you and enjoy the post ^_^

1 : The playground

The playground of the camping was something I slightly remembered.

It is right beside the entrance, in front of the reception, and it stands out from its surroundings thanks to its brightly colored plastic and its neat fake grass field.

During the day, you can find dozens of parents there, patiently waiting under the scorching hot sun for their kids to get tired; but they never do, because that endless colorful heaven is well worth bearing the unsustainable heat of italian summers.

But during lunch hours, the castle finally finds a moment to rest.

 

But the break doesn't last long - after the flocks of children of the afternoon are gone, and the sun starts sinking, the playground goes silent once again. And as the night falls, the once joyful and bright castle transforms into an eerie and empty presence.

 

The same tunnels and slides that only a few hours before were filled by the sound of children's laughter are now conquered by shadows and voids.

2 : The house

Guests who choose to rent a mobile house get to live in a small bungalow for their stay.

These houses are comfortable, compact, and in their own way, cozy. The most common thing someone would end up thinking as soon as they've spent a while in there is, ''I would live in a house like that'' - no matter how welcoming your real home is, the desire to live in that small, simple house surrounded by maritime pine trees will get to you eventually.

You'll start wondering how you would decorate your room if the house was yours.

How would you spend your days there?

How would you make it your own?

Would you repaint the cream-white walls? Or would you keep them that way?

Sitting at the table in front of the entrance, enjoying the evening breeze. Staying with yourself in silence and finally feeling relieved of everything that has been imprisoning you.

3 : The pool

The most crowded place of all: the pool. The parents who survive from the hot hell of the playground are dragged there by their children. Thankfully, they can relax themselves in the hydromassage pool while keeping an eye on the kids playing on the water slide through the salt-tainted glass. But once again, when the night falls, it becomes a completely different place.

As you get closer to the hydromassage pool and also take a peek through the glass, a chill goes down your spine. It is just a pool after all; but that stark blue lighting, those neatly placed ceramic tiles, all those dirty glass walls that look like they could go on forever, curving, intertwining, creating an immense labirinth that goes beyond any imagination... everything is ordinary but seems so strangely out of place.

You soon realise it is the place you saw in your worst nightmare.

4 : The beach

One night, you decide to visit the beach again. You've been there all day, but it still not enough; you want to greet the sea again in a different light.

The families, the loud groups of teenagers hosting cards tournaments, the sunbathing grandmas, the coconut sellers shouting for your attention are all long gone. All that remains of that jungle is a legion of lonely umbrellas.

 

As you approach the sea, you find that there is no lifeguard stopping you from taking a bath in the cold salty water; only an ominous red sign, scarred by the waves and the passage of little crustaceans, tries to warn you of the dangers of that black liquid void that has now become the sea.

And now you stand alone on the shore.

Piercing the darkness with your gaze.

You are alone. But you are happy.

...

Final thoughts

Thank you for sticking by until the end!! I really appreciate it!

As you may have been able to tell, writing is a pretty big passion of mine, so I might have gotten a bit carried away LMAO.

Let me know if you have had any similar experiences, thoughts, etc. I'd really love to hear everyone out ^_^ also feel free to ask any questions!

Hope you have a wonderful day or night!