Between Time and Space

"Ma" is the Japanese term for the concept of time/spatial relationships. It may mean intervals, physical or temporal. The concept of space referred to as Ma is important in art because the space between objects is not simply a toss-away, it is defining space that may be the message.

Case in point, I really like this picture of the birds. There is action but also stillness. The visual space compresses as the birds become dark abstracts and the trees flatten against the sky. Because the birds are partially hidden, they move away from being the subject of the picture and the true subject of the picture, Ma, the interval—the space between—is revealed.