Abstract
A complex series of mystical texts and rituals within medieval Judaism, the Kabbalah endeavors to explain God by contemplating the anthropomorphic traits of designed artefacts - the Hebrew letterforms and the Sephirotic diagram. This article examines anthropomorphism in these artefacts from a design point of view. The author focuses on the relationships among visual elements within an artefact, and connections between the artefact’s formal qualities and the form of depictions of the body. Despite the Hebraic fear of graven images, the visual form of the Sephirotic diagram can be understood fundamentally as a nuanced, abstract representation of the human body. The designers of this diagram incorporate basic geometric elements of the body and appropriate the visual vocabulary of medieval anatomy. Interpreted visually, the Hebrew alphabetic ‘characters’ look and act like living creatures - they are fleshy beings wielding immense creative ability. Such design-based interpretations of the visual form of the Hebrew letters and the Sephirot evoke new and exciting anthropomorphic renderings.
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