The Spatial Fold — Worlds in Extension: 5 Centres, Peripheries, and the Topology of Possibility

Relational space is structured, not uniform. Within extended and overlapping fields, patterns of influence and coherence generate centres and peripheries — nodes of intensity and zones of attenuation that shape the dynamics of interaction. Yet these are not fixed hierarchies; they are emergent, contingent, and relationally sustained. Centres and peripheries arise from the differential alignment, resonance, and relational modulation of worlds.

A centre is a locus of convergence. It concentrates relational influence, stabilises patterns, and amplifies the propagation of potential. Centres emerge where adjacency, proximity, and fold coincide in high-intensity alignment. They are not imposed from outside but are enacted through relational resonance, sustained by the patterns of interaction that continuously reinforce their prominence. The emergence of a centre reflects both coherence within a world and its capacity to synchronise or modulate neighbouring worlds.

Peripheries, by contrast, are zones of divergence, attenuated influence, or boundary negotiation. They mediate contact with other worlds, absorb novelty, and buffer central structures from destabilising forces. Peripheries are relationally productive: they create space for experimentation, accommodate partial overlap, and allow worlds to adjust relationally without compromising coherence. In a plural ontology, peripheries are as vital as centres, maintaining both flexibility and generative tension within the spatial field.

The topology of relational space is inherently multi-scalar. Micro-worlds may form local centres within broader meso-world fields, which themselves interact within macro-world topologies. Centres and peripheries are therefore nested, overlapping, and contingent, producing dynamic landscapes of relational intensity and potentiality. A shift in one node reverberates across scales, reshaping adjacency, overlap, and influence throughout the field.

Understanding centres and peripheries relationally reveals spatiality as a topological ecology: patterns of influence, coherence, and divergence emerge through relational interaction rather than pre-existing coordinates. The topology of possibility is generated through continuous negotiation, modulation, and folding of relational space, structuring both persistence and the emergence of novelty.

Next in the series: Spatial Resonance and Dissonance, where we will explore how alignment and misalignment in relational space shape co-individuation, interaction, and emergent possibilities among worlds.