Exodus Poster
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Student Project | Conceptual
This project is a typographical interpretation of the Book of Exodus. The entire text is captured in this large-scale poster. The Bible can be taken literally, but it can also be interpreted metaphorically. I interpreted "exodus" to be symbolic of a spiritual practice, it is a journey and not something to depict as a singular event. I wanted to show that it was cyclical. Leaving Egypt to go towards the promised land symbolizes working to get on your spiritual path, but very few people are able to permanently reside there - you constantly become enslaved to material things again and it takes work to return to that spiritual space. The Hebrew Bible begins with Bet (2nd letter), but Aleph starts the 10 commandments. It is the first letter of the Hebrew word emet, which means truth. It also begins the 3 words that make up God's mystical name in Exodus "I am who I am." In Jewish mysticism, Aleph represents the oneness of God - the upper yud, lower yud, and a vav leaning on a diagonal. The upper yud represents the hidden and ineffable aspects of God, while the lower yud represents God's revelation and presence in the world. The vav ("hook") connects the two realms. The direction of the text depicts this cyclical practice. Starting at Aleph, you seek upwards your path. It veers off track and sinks back down. You return to Aleph - return to your spiritual practice, but again veer off track and the cycle continues. The triangular image helps to visually pull the eye into the poster - into the journey. |
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Closeup of Aleph:
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Text Direction:
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Full Poster (showing scale):
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