Kenopsia - The Quiet Eeriness of Empty Places

From the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, kenopsia is a poignant expression of the feeling we get from empty spaces. If you've ever been to an empty school on the weekend, or been the last one out of a now silent office, and thought that there was an air of nostalgic yet eerie impression, that's kenopsia.

Kenopsia - n. the eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that’s usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet—a school hallway in the evening, an unlit office on a weekend, vacant fairgrounds—an emotional afterimage that makes it seem not just empty but hyper-empty, with a total population in the negative, who are so conspicuously absent they glow like neon signs

Kenopsia is a word you may not have heard of, but it expresses a range of emotions we experience when we encounter empty places. It's described sometimes as creepy, nostalgic, eerie, uncomfortable. Is kenopsia a real word? Well, it has a definition. Beyond that, you may have to decide.

Cover Photo by Darius Krause from Pexels

[AdNoctemMedia]

The time I remember this feeling most profoundly was going to a tourist town on the beach near where I lived, as a hurricane was less than 8 hours away. It was normally packed non-stop, and the whole main street was lined with shops that normally had people in and out, but not that day. There's already an eery stillness in the air shortly before a hurricane, but it was amplified to stand in the middle of a cobblestone street where you'd been dozens of times, and not see anyone around you as far as you could look in any direction.

[kinggod]

you were recommended to me through your Beksinski video and ive been binging your videos since. keep it up, love your videos

[divadgnol]

I experienced this on 9/11. I was at work like millions of other people that day.

I found myself being rushed into a conference room as another man carried a small television into the room frantically trying to plug it in.

Immediately after he tuned it to a local news station I was dumbfounded by the horror that was before me.

I ripped myself away from the television and rushed outside to find there was no one.

[Netiri]

I've never heard about this word till now, but I know the feeling very well. What's interesting to me is that I've never felt it while I was alone out in the wilds for example, only in human spaces. The worst case of this was when I returned to a place where I used to play with my two best friends as kids. There was a wooden bridge once but now it's gone and all you can see are just the stone pillars. I don't know why but the place gives me anxiety, even writing about it makes me feel bad somehow. I just met my two friends a few days ago, so it's not because of some kind of unfortunate event or tragedy and I don't really feel nostalgic about the place. When went there last time what I mainly felt was pure fear. I guess because I can never go back no matter what and I can only move forward in time, so whatever I do now, I will never be able to undo it and this gives me anxiety. (This is a seriously underrated channel btw)
I guess I should just live with the consequences of everyday decisions.

[smithrockford-dvnb]

I live in Italy and, during the lockdown, we were at one point free to roam in our backyard. Since my apartment's backyard is large it actually has a gate that opens up to a freeway. I jumped it over and walked in the middle of it, walked throw the open-air rows of a small mall—all dead, devoid of life. It was very surreal, made me think about how much of what we currently do is really needed.

[krb]

Driving through Hollywood at the height of the pandemic wasn't so much eerie as it was peaceful and kind of an awesome experience knowing it wouldn't last long.

[hammerhedleysharkey]

I used to work overnight alone in an empty office building in an office park. No one else was on that shift. In fact, all the other buildings in that area were closed and dark. I spent many eerie nights, and walking through the empty halls was sometimes rather thrilling. The closest example of how it looks and feels is in the Backrooms videos I have recently seen. But the walls in my area were a deep maroon color, and there was artwork hanging there depicting apocalyptic industrial scenes and abstract views of environmental corrosion. I once even saw a creature in one of the offices (!) and since that night I was frightened to come into work. I never told anybody except close family members I trusted to believe me. I was very relieved when my employment was suddenly terminated a few weeks after I had seen that thing. But I am still drawn to empty buildings and other public spaces. I used to take walks on my breaks to a nearby park with a large pond and fountains. During the day it is quite busy but at night it is dark and abandoned. So awesome to experience these places alone (or with a friend). Also there were some offices under construction made of bare concrete and glass. I used to explore them and found the reverb was fantastic! I would whistle quietly and the echoes sounded like a symphony! Anyway, thought I'd share, sorry to go on so long.

[kookies]

To me it’s dehumanizing, it’s like this sudden realization that just hits you. Something that was so popular and filled with bustle just having been left behind to decay is sad and scary. You sort of realize how fast people come and go and how something filled with so many memories can all just disappear never to be known by future people.

[keypibaratheguvnah]

Like liminal space? Hmmm this is a good video btw i got here from the nightmare artist video also a good one.

[riktrik]

The beginning of 28 days really does capture that feeling of quiet eariness. With the protagonist walking around an abandoned London. Why was the city abandoned? Where is everyone? Why am i alone? I honestly thought the eeriness of the abandoned London without an answer as to why, far more frightening then the eventual revelation of the infected.

[-xirx-]

Graffiti writers have very different feelings when experiencing kenopsia

[Torus]

Its strange that about 5 days ago (when this video was uploaded) me and my housemate were talking about kenopsia, I wonder if theres a word for that phenomenon

[Darktrace]

I'm pretty sure everyone experienced Kenopsia first hand.
My first time was in an empty online sever, for example.

[Nordaritan]

I always have this feeling going to and from work at 2AM the feeling of being truly alone in a city of 2-3 million. It’s pretty scary tbh. I

work in the aviation industry if you want to know what I do

[davidgrim]

You should look into the manga by Junji Ito. I think you would like it.

[Richjie]

What are the chances that I randomly skip to 2:00 only to find out that i know this place very well 🤣. May I ask if you live in Rotkreuz (where this train station is) or how you found this footage? If you found this just coincidentally on the internet i'm losing it man 😅

[divadgnol]

I know this isn't the right forum to ask this question. But how are you doing?