Theory
Vā / Tā-Vā (the space-between)
Explore in the Atlas →Pan-Pacific concept (Samoan/Tongan vā, Hawaiian wā, Māori te wā) of space as the relation between things rather than an empty container; tā-vā theory treats time-space as the medium of sociospatial relations. Performative and known only in the carrying-out of tauhi vā / teu le vā.
Threshold Time Collectivity
Details
- Introduced
- contemporary (drawing on traditional thought)
Connections
- relates to Relational Space
Referenced by
- Albert Wendt proposed
- Hūfanga ʻOkusitino Mahina proposed
- Tēvita O. Kaʻili proposed
- Marking Indigeneity: The Tongan Art of Sociospatial Relations articulates
- Vā Moana: Space and Relationality in Pacific Thought and Identity articulates
Sources
- Kaʻili, T. O. Marking Indigeneity: The Tongan Art of Sociospatial Relations. University of Arizona Press, 2017.
- Wendt, A. Tatauing the Post-colonial Body. 1996.
Cite this entry
First published May 2026Last revised Jul 2026
CLAD. "Vā / Tā-Vā (the space-between)." Atlas of Architectural Thought. CLAD, 2026. https://www.cl-ad.com.au/research/atlas/theory/va-ta-va/. Accessed July 17, 2026.