Miriam Cusniriuc

Miriam Cusniriuc

Word of Life
“If one dies, can one live again?” (Job 14:14) All living things are subject to change—due to seasons changing, decay, the gradual or sudden dissolution of what once seemed permanent—yet nature does not treat impermanence as tragedy, nor death as definitive.

Have you experienced the sweet fragrance of fresh blooms in spring, after a dormant, seemingly never-ending winter? Have you witnessed a dawn’s glorious, otherworldly hues—the warmth and freshness of new light breaking through the dense cold of night? Seeds that sprout forth after a long time in the dark soil?

Death giving way to new life is written into the fabric of creation, a pattern too consistent and precise to be merely accidental. It is this pattern that my work muses on and builds upon. In an amalgamation of original lyric poetry, hand-lettered typographic specimens, outlined textures, and photographic imagery, Word of Life moves through four movements: Genesis, Fracture, Dormancy, and Eternity. The poetic narrative is inspired by the Biblical arc—from creation to the resurrection of Christ—an arc echoed by the pattern of death followed by new life in the natural world. Material choices, such as the small format and the exposed coptic binding, aim to foster a slow, intimate, sensorial experience. The work invites the reader to immerse themselves, to observe, and to dwell on the role of impermanence and the daunting, yet persistent question “is there life after death?” Above all, it hopes to gently point to the answer—one that has personally transformed my life.