Manuscripts and the Mind

Atrium: Incorporatus

[from the Latin, and past principle of incorporare “to unite into one body, to embody, include”]

Suspended fabric panels reveal fragments of a larger image, inspired by papyri in the museum’s collections. The patterns, curated from shards of wallpaper found at an ancient pilgrimage site, explore memory and transformation. From the balconies, the panels align to form a multi-layered, CT-like ‘brain’ scan, inviting reflection on integrated perception — and how art, like words, can reshape our understanding and ways of seeing. 

Threshold : Exordium

[< ex > a Latin prefix meaning “out of” or “from”, and < ordiri > a Latin verb meaning “to begin, to weave the warp of a web or beginning of a speech or text, preface”]

This immersive textile sculpture unfurls like a scroll, inviting you to walk through its spiralling form. The patterns, created from fragments of wallpaper found at an ancient pilgrimage site, evoke the physicality of ancient manuscripts and transformative nature of spiritual experience. Drawing on the Biblical transfiguration and embodied movement of pilgrimage, the piece offers a moment of turning—a shift in perception—as you cross into the exhibition beyond. 

For more information about the exhibition at Chester Beatty Library, click here.