Theory
Ma (間, the spatial-temporal interval)
Explore in the Atlas →The Japanese concept of ma — the charged interval or gap between things, moments and people. Inverting the Western priority of solid form, ma treats the in-between as the active, animating element of design; Arata Isozaki brought it to global audiences as a fusion of spatial vacancy and temporal flow.
Ephemerality Dwelling Ritual
Details
- Introduced
- 1978
Classifications
- Holder
- Communal intergenerational
- Source of authority
- Lived experience
- Subject
- Human centred
- Mode of transmission
- Text drawing
- Knowledge type
- Relational embodied
- Epistemic cluster
- East asian
Referenced by
- Wabi-Sabi (the aesthetic of imperfection) relates to
- Arata Isozaki proposed
Sources
- Arata Isozaki. MA: Space-Time in Japan (exhibition catalogue). Cooper-Hewitt Museum, 1979.
Cite this entry
First published May 2026Last revised Jul 2026
CLAD. "Ma (間, the spatial-temporal interval)." Atlas of Architectural Thought. CLAD, 2026. https://www.cl-ad.com.au/research/atlas/theory/ma-spatial-interval/. Accessed July 17, 2026.