Description
Spinal Cord is a highly detailed rendering of a cross section of the human spinal cord. This image was made entirely from scratch, deeply informed by the neuroscientific literature and my background in neuroscience and designed to be an attractive piece of fine art as well as an accurate atlas of both anatomy and connectivity. It is the most ambitious project that I’ve undertaken since the creation of Self Reflected.
This artwork and associated images, GIFs, and video are designed to give the viewer a comprehensive understanding of the complex anatomical details of this region and how information travels through the cord. In particular, I wanted to emphasize the complexity of the transverse white matter regions and how signals travel into and out of these areas. Information travels through the afferent inputs in the dorsal ganglia, is processed in the butterfly shaped gray matter regions in the central cord, and through computations with interneurons and afferent/efferent signals from adjacent regions of the transverse white matter tracts leads to signal outputs through the ventral cord that execute movements.
The spinal cord is the information superhighway connecting our brains to our bodies, an indispensible organ and masterpiece of evolution, more fundamental to our existence than even our very backbone.
Microetched prints feature the spectacular animated reflective effects of microetchings and can be illuminated in any number of ways. Specialized printing processes replicate the surface of microetchings onto which aluminum is evaporated to give them their brilliant sparkle. The prints are sealed between two sheets of glass to display and protect them. As they are not handmade and are not made of gold like original 22K reflective microetchings, we are able to release them at a more accessible price than traditional microetchings.
Onyx Glass premium framing option– For the first time I’m offering a premium framing option called Onyx Glass. These prints feature a ceramic printed glass mask that turns the standard mirrored background of the microetched prints into a beautiful, smooth, jet black background. They are archival and have a very sleek look to them. Please note that both the standard etchings and the onyx glass etchings are identical in terms of the etching itself, it is only the background on them that differs. When viewed in a dark room, both the standard prints and the onyx glass versions have dark backgrounds.
F.A.Q.
The shots in the video are meant to show you what you will see when you have a fixed light source(s) on the etching and you are walking around it. Microetched prints do not come with their own lighting. Please see the link to the .pdf at the bottom of this page and watch the video at the bottom called “How to Light Microetchings” to clarify everything.
Spinal Cord microetched prints come sealed between two sheets of glass in a simple 2″ wide black frame. You have the choice of ordering with the standard mirror background (default) or with the black onyx glass, the premium framing option. Instructions on how to illuminate them and a certificate of authenticity will accompany the package.
Please note that when you first open the box with the etching, you will notice that on the standard mirror background prints the surface is very close to a mirror finish and will be reflecting light from all around the room (watch the “How to Light Microetchings” video at the bottom of this page starting at 3:35 for an idea of what the standard mirror background prints look like in a room with ambient light and good overhead lighting. The black onyx glass framed prints transform this mirrored background into a sleek, smooth, jet black background. Microetched prints can look great in any circumstances with the correct lighting, but they truly blaze in a darkened room. The photos and video that you see on this website were all taken in a darkened room to show them at their best. All shots in all videos were taken of microetched prints with the standard mirror background.
SHIPPING
All microetched prints from the 2022 edition are expected to ship sometime in late November 2022 and will begin arriving at their destinations by early to mid December.
The large size microetched prints are large and heavy and require a sturdy wooden crate to ship, thus the crating and shipping costs are high. Depending on your location, you may be able to return the crate back to us so we can reuse it and receive a refund of anywhere from $250-$500. This would be dealt with after your order has been safely delivered to your location.
Please read this .pdf for detailed information and product recommendations on how to light your microetching.
This video below also explains in detail how to get the most out of your etching.
