۱. The Understanding of Void Space by Western and Iranian Humans
“MA” (間) is a term rooted in the historical civilization of Japan, which has gained attention in recent decades due to the research of prominent architects such as Arata Isozaki. However, before considering his new yet Japanese interpretation of this concept, it is essential to recognize that the term “MA” in English refers to emptiness, gap, void space, or negative space; as if the concept of “MA” alludes to the mysterious minimalism inherent in Japanese art, imagery, and architecture. It is not surprising that Western individuals, who have consistently found the ultimate purpose of their art in form and sculpture, focusing on humanism and achieving their so-called golden proportions, resort to concepts that have no equivalent when faced with the mystery and silence of Japanese art and architecture, with “MA” sometimes defined as a key for unraveling this mystery.
In the Iranian civilization, despite the deep influence of some arts, particularly certain two-dimensional arts like miniature painting from the East, and the commonalities shared between Islamic poetry and Eastern humanity, the Iranian understanding of space, and notably of empty space, remains ambiguous. For example, Dr. Fakouhi, a prominent contemporary anthropologist, states in his book on urban anthropology:
“Space should be regarded as… a vacant and void place… a location that accommodates nothing within it. In other words, a space among things and objects. Therefore, the phenomenon of space can only be understood in the presence of objects and its relative fullness… Being in an empty space induces fear… because in such situations, we find ourselves in a position devoid of signs…”
There seems to be a sense of anxiety among Iranians that prevents them from fully understanding empty spaces. An Iranian, who finds comfort in symbols and signs, constantly endeavored to decorate walls with tiles, adorn the ground with carpets, and fill their world with poetry brimming with meanings. Yet, like Western individuals, they may initially experience astonishment and confusion when confronted with the emptiness found in Japanese art and architecture.
۲. The Theoretical Shortcomings of the Concept of Space
For millennia, Western thought has viewed space as a container that bears no relationship to its inhabitants or the events occurring within it; an absolute container. Perhaps Leibniz, in the 18th century, was the first to propose a relativistic theory of space, seeking to understand its relationship with humanity. Although his hypotheses did not significantly impact the prevailing discourse, up until the 20th century, space continued to be seen as a phenomenon free from human action. It is striking that Western thinkers, without scientific advancements such as Einstein’s theory of relativity, had not deeply grasped the dynamics of space and its complex relationships with aspects of life, at least not in theoretical frameworks.
However, even after the development of Western theories from the early 20th century, space was utilized as a tool for destructive ideologies, with architects like Le Corbusier proposing bold ideas such as “architecture instead of revolution” to use architecture as a political tool. In other words, in the 20th century, space persisted not as a reason for its own existence but became a means due to its own capacities, which extended until World War II and even through the 1960s and 1970s. It was during this period that the atrocities of World War II, the evolution of design research, and the necessity to focus on space itself, independent of prescriptive ideas, compelled architects to rediscover the relationship between space and other aspects of life. Perhaps the most resonant movement can be seen in the agency movement in UK of the 2000s. In the past half-century, thinkers have endeavored to find a different, complex, and multilayered understanding of space. With such a brief reexamination of the concept of space in the Western world, we can now better appreciate the significance of “MA.”
۳. “MA”: A Relational and Complex Concept
During a time when humanity struggled to understand the complexities of the concept of space, primarily attempting to interpret it through contextuality, Isozaki developed the concept of “MA” in the 1970s and 1980s. However, Isozaki’s understanding of space contained innovations that are better comprehended only through advancements in knowledge in other areas, such as readings of science and technology studies (STS) and intercultural studies. The explanation of “MA” as a phenomenon that is both related to space and time (space-time) and the events as well. This comprehension of space, inspired by Shinto rituals, enabled individuals to distance themselves from stereotypical objective-subjective dichtomy.
What can be inferred from the theorizing of Isozaki and Japanese architects concerning “MA” is that the Japanese theorist, while understanding the pressing issues of the world, sought dynamic and instinctual prescriptions of space rooted in his own civilizational heritage, which has today made this land one of the most recognized leading nations in contemporary architecture. One can hope that if one day architectural theorizing in Iran accompanies a profound understanding of global architectural issues and distances itself from traditional fundamental definitions, it too may find a more active role in the development of the concept of architecture and space in the modern world.
