The Spatial Fold — Worlds in Extension: 3 Adjacency and Proximity — The Grammar of Spatial Relations

Worlds do not exist in isolation; their relational fields overlap, align, and repel. The notions of adjacency and proximity are central to understanding spatial relationality, for they determine the intensity, quality, and possibility of interaction. Yet adjacency is not a simple measure of distance: it is a mode of relational positioning, dynamically enacted through the interplay of extension, resonance, and engagement.

Proximity mediates influence. Worlds that are “near” one another in relational terms experience heightened potential for co-modulation, alignment, and emergent interaction. Distance, conversely, introduces attenuation, constraint, or delay in relational effects. Crucially, what counts as near or far is not absolute; it is co-constituted by intensity of interaction, sensitivity to resonance, and the orientation of potentialities. Worlds may “approach” or “withdraw” through modulation of relational extension, rather than through literal displacement.

Adjacency is also directional and perspectival. A world may be adjacent to another in one aspect — say, influence or attention — while remaining distant in others. Spatial relations are therefore multi-dimensional: worlds negotiate not only position, but the intensity, vector, and temporal alignment of their relational reach. Adjacency is enacted, performed, and maintained, rather than pre-given, making the spatial field inherently dynamic.

Relational proximity also underpins emergent structures of coherence and dissonance. Groups of worlds may form clusters of resonance, aligning their patterns to enhance collective persistence. Alternatively, partial overlap or uneven adjacency produces zones of friction, tension, or novel potentialities. Proximity is thus generative: it stabilises interaction where alignment is sufficient and opens the possibility of transformation where it is not.

By attending to adjacency and proximity as relational constructs, we see that the spatial field is a grammar — a set of relational rules and possibilities governing how worlds position themselves, interact, and extend influence. Spatial relations are not merely geometric; they are semiotic, energetic, and relationally potent, structuring the emergence, co-individuation, and transformation of worlds across the field of extension.

Next in the series: Folds and Overlaps — Interpenetrating Worlds, where we will explore how worlds extend into one another, producing interwoven zones of resonance, interference, and co-modulation that defy rigid separation.