Sculpting the Voynich Manuscript

The Voynich Manuscript is full of star imagery: unique diagrams in the so-called "astronomical" and "cosmological" sections, paragraphs of unreadable text at the end of the manuscript illustrated only with stars, and - perhaps most remarkably - over 300 drawings of figures who hold stars in the "zodiac" section. When making this sculpture, I was not thinking of one particular star drawing in the manuscript, but rather of the omnipresence of stars throughout. Without being able to read the text, one can only speculate about what this recurring motif may mean. The sculptural medium of illuminated plasma within glass creates an effect of "starlight" that is also touch-interactive, inviting the viewer to embody the Voynich Manuscript's illustrations and contemplate its mysteries.

This particular figure on the top left of folio 80v is infamous for the unidentified object she holds. Using the original drawing as a reference to sculpt the figure in porcelain, I wanted to make my own version of the unidentified object that remains enigmatic despite being translated into a three-dimensional form. I also wanted to capture the unique character of this figure, who - like many of those in the Voynich - seems to be doing something with purpose and meaning, although what that meaning is remains mysterious.

There is a lot going on in the illustrations of folio 82r, which inspired several of my sculptures. I was especially intrigued by the central blue star. The bulbous shape is unique among the many hundreds of stars in the manuscript, and it is also connected to a cross-shaped structure on the left from which a number of wavy lines seem to emanate. The image brings to mind some kind of celestial or atmospheric phenomena - perhaps lightning? One can only guess at the artist's original intent, but imagining it as a star surrounded by lightning led to my creation of a blown glass star that encapsulates plasma lightning -inside, rather than out. It is filled with noble gas (krypton) and energized by a high-voltage, high-frequency power supply, creating fast-moving filaments of light that are also touch-interactive.

Voynich Manuscript folio 73r belongs to a group of folios that make up the "astrological" section. Their central emblems are recognizable as zodiac signs (this particular one represents Scorpio with a lizard-like creature instead of a scorpion, which is uncommon but not unknown in medieval zodiacs.) However, the circles of nude female figures holding stars, and the way the creature holds a star in its mouth, are unlike any other known medieval illustrations. The presence of a few recognizable elements among many unique and strange ones makes the Voynich Manuscript's imagery both compelling and frustrating.

Using hand-sculpted porcelain, I recreated the four most detailed female figures on the top of folio 73r. They hold stars painted with gold luster that reflect the starlight from the central blown-glass star. It is filled with noble gas, lighting the sculpture with illuminated plasma when displayed in the dark. A wire that connects it to a high-voltage, high-frequency power supply becomes part of my recreation of the "Scorpio" creature who holds the star in its mouth.

I continue to wonder why the Voynich figures hold stars. What power does starlight hold for them, and what did it mean to the maker of the manuscript?

The modern technology of electricity and plasma, mixed with this medieval imagery, embodies the mysterious power that tethers the Voynich figures to the stars.

Powdered phosphors applied to the inside of the glass emit a colorful glow when energized by the plasma light, while the flowers' clear transparent stems reveal the bright white glow of the pure krypton gas that is sealed inside the sculpture.

Exploring visual metaphors for the idea that there is more to Voynich imagery than meets the eye, this sculpture plays with perspective as it relates to the original drawing. Seen from one side, two separate plant sculptures are visible, but from another perspective, the two glass stems align so as to appear as one plant inspired by folio 48r.

This sculpture, inspired by Voynich Manuscript folio 2v, marked a new exploration of materials: kiln-cast glass, and metal working with copper and patina. I first sculpted the flower shape in wax, which was then kiln cast in glass. Set in a metal stem, the flower is lit from beneath, causing the translucent cast glass to become Illuminated throughout.

Compared to some other plant drawings in the manuscript, the one on folio 2v is more recognizable as a real species, yet its part in the manuscript still remains just as mysterious. "Glimmer" uses light as a symbol of the spark of curiosity that the Voynich inspires, driving ongoing investigations into its true meaning.

Is there more to Voynich manuscript imagery than meets the eye? The plant on folio 11v, like numerous others, defies identification. Different perspectives bring different insights into what the meaning may be. For this sculpture I imagined that literally shifting the perspective - viewing this strange plant from the side - reveals an illuminated golden interior, symbolic of "cracking the code" and gaining new insights and knowledge into the mysteries of the Voynich Manuscript. The accompanying text on this folio is carved into the sculpture base and also illuminated from within.

When I began designing three-dimensional interpretations of Voynich Manuscript imagery, some of the drawings that particularly intrigued me were the two objects found at the top of folio 78r, which I nicknamed "pods". I puzzled over how they related to the female figures in the pools, and the design for this sculpture came from imagining that these "pods" possess a compelling mystery not only to the modern viewer of the manuscript but also to the women who swim beneath them. The sculpted figure in the pool encounters a mysterious object and, reaching out to touch it, prepares to discover its secrets.

The numerous botanical drawings in the Voynich Manuscript resemble real plants in some ways, but most can not be clearly identified. At first glance, the accompanying text appears to offer an explanation - but then one realizes it does not resemble any known language. Like a ghostly apparition, the illustrations also remain beyond our understanding, and perhaps they are not what they seem to be on the surface.