Aos prospectus

Art from the invisible world
A unique and iconic contemporary art collection
Captured through an optical microscope, these fascinating images
allow us a glimpse into the secret world of very tiny things, where we
discover a spectacular collision of art and science.

The Artist
These artworks are composed of award
winning photographic images taken through
the microscope by the renowned British
artist and scientist Spike Walker. Spike
Walker is a fellow of the Royal Photographic
Society and he has received the Society’s
Combined Royal Medical Colleges Medal in
2010 for his ‘outstanding contribution to
photography and its application in the
service of medicine’. Spike Walker has held
the Royal Microscopical Society’s Glauert
Medal since 1982 and he has been winning
the Wellcome Image Awards a record 24
times.
These creations are now available to a global audience on facebook through a virtual exhibition on
https://www.facebook.com/ArtofScience.Photomicrography
About Photomicrography
Scientists and other practitioners of microscopy increasingly use photography to record what
they see through the microscope. This process – known as photomicrography - is achieved by
mounting a camera (usually without lens) over the microscope’s eyepiece, so as to capture the
magnified image produced by the instrument’s lens system.
The optical systems of microscopes have been greatly improved over the years, as has the
range of ‘contrast-enhancing’ techniques which improve the quality and usefulness of images.
As a result, it is now possible to produce – from the tiny (often very thin) specimens used in
microscopy – images that clearly reveal the smallest details of their internal structures. At first,
such specimens often appear transparent and featureless, but they usually contain variations,
however subtle, in their optical or chemical characteristics.
Contrast-enhancing techniques make these variations visible in the image, for example by
means of colour differences. Different parts of the specimen may combine with different dyes
(‘stains’), or light may travel at different rates through them, allowing the use of darkground,
Rheinberg Illumination, Phase Contrast or Differential Interference Contrast. Polarized light
techniques usually prove valuable if the material has an orderly molecular structure.

Scientists choose from these contrast-enhancing techniques in order to be able to better
investigate the organisms or materials which concern them and microscopy is now a vital tool
across the whole range of scientific disciplines, from biology to medicine and geology and
from metallurgy to forensics.
The fact that their work is capable of generating images of astonishing beauty is a coincidence
for which we art lovers can all be grateful!
From an invisible world
With these exhibits, Art Naturally provides an insight into a fascinating world normally hidden
from the human eye. This is the real world seen close up - and what we see is a place of
extraordinary subtlety and astounding beauty. All works in this edition are created in a
scientific process from objects of minuscule scale. By capturing these objects through the lens
of a microscope and viewing them at a size thousands times larger, these objects begin to
reveal their amazing splendour and to cast their magic spell.
Format, not just size!
Art Naturally has selected the most stunning images and designed for them a line of distinct
frames and panels in a variety of shades. The format and the color of the border thus become
an integral part of the creation.
Multidimensional Art
The works in the collection of Art Naturally can really be considered a form of
multidimensional art, as they stimulate the senses, appeal to the emotions and feed the
intellect too.
These works are meant for those individuals who value distinct creative work and who are
curious to explore a new aesthetic realm.

The Exhibits
Only 29 pieces of these photomicrographic artworks have been shipped to India for a showcase
titled The Art of Science. For this display a single piece of each work has been crafted in our UK
workshop under usage of advanced materials and state of the art technology
(click on an image to see a larger version in better resolution)

Psychedelia (sulphur mix)
Format: LINEAR – Vogue Acrylics
Stone Grey (matte translucent)
Panel sizes:
Background 44″ x 24″ (110 x 60cm)
Image 36″ x 16″ (90 x 40cm)
included:
Hanging system Rotate-360
15x15cm acrylic information card
Certificate of authenticity
About this image
This dazzling image is of crystals of sulphur, benzophenone and phenacetin, chemicals which share a
similar melting point.
A mixture of the chemicals was heated to melting point under a cover glass and then left to cool
and crystallise. During cooling, the mix was agitated to prevent the chemicals from combining – a
process which produces variable effects according to the rate of cooling and pressure exerted.
This photo of a 2.5mm wide sample was taken through an optical microscope, using crossed
polarizing filters. Polarizers enhance contrast and produce ‘interference colours’ (as seen on an oil
film on a wet road), following the destruction of some of the light wavelengths.

Dali Ice Cave (sulphur and acetanilide crystals)
Panel sizes:
Image 36″ x 16″ (90 x 40cm)
included:
About this image
Sulphur, or brimstone, is found in volcanic deposits. It is a vital component of living things and has
many uses, from fertilisers to car tyres. Acetanilide is used as a stabiliser in various industrial
processes.
To produce this image, the materials were heated to melting point under a cover glass and then left
to cool and crystallise. During the cooling process, the mix was agitated to prevent the chemicals
from combining.

Autumn (carbamide crystals)
Format: CUBIX – Vogue Acrylics
Midnight Black (glossy opaque)
Panel sizes:
Image 24″ x 24″ (60 x 60cm)
included:
About this image
Carbamide is produced in the body when proteins are metabolised and broken down. This was the
first organic chemical compound to be formulated synthetically, in 1828, and has since found a
multitude of uses – in nitrogen fertilisers, pesticides, some plastics, animal feeds, glues, detergents
and hair colouring products. It is also used medicinally as a moisturiser.
Crystals of carbamide tend to resemble flakes or shavings. This image was produced by melting a
carbamide sample under a cover glass and allowing it to cool and crystallise. A 2mm wide sample
was photographed through an optical microscope, using crossed polarizing filters. Polarizers
enhance contrast and produce ‘interference colours’ (as seen on an oil film on a wet road), following
the destruction of some of the light wavelengths.

Petals (dopamine crystals)
Panel sizes:
Image 24″ x 24″ (60 x 60cm)
included:
About this image
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter which helps activate and control the brain’s pleasure and reward
centres. One of the so-called ‘happiness hormones’ (with serotonin, melatonin and others), it is
manipulated by drugs such as caffeine and is therefore associated with addiction.
Low levels of dopamine are a feature of Parkinson’s disease and conventional treatments to increase
dopamine levels have had limited success. Gene therapy is now undergoing clinical trials, in which
genes coding for dopamine-producing proteins are injected directly into the brain.
Recent experiments suggest that dopamine also influences the way we make decisions, increasing
the importance of ‘gut feeling’ over analytical decision making.
To produce this image, dopamine was allowed to crystallise from an aqueous solution and a 2mm
wide sample was taken through an optical microscope. The sample was placed between crossed
polarizing filters to enhance contrast and produce ‘interference colours’ (as seen on an oil film on a
wet road), following the destruction of some of the light wavelengths.

Blue Dolphin (sulphur and benzophenone crystals)
Panel sizes:
Image 24″ x 24″ (60 x 60cm)
included:
About this image
many uses, from fertilisers to car tyres. Benzophenone is used in the packaging industry to prevent
goods from ultraviolet light damage.
To produce this image, the chemicals were heated to melting point under a cover glass and then
left to cool and crystallise. During the cooling process, the mix was agitated to prevent the
chemicals from combining.

Lava Lamp 1 (sulphur crystals)
Panel sizes:
Image 24″ x 24″ (60 x 60cm)
included:
About this image
Found in volcanic deposits, sulphur (sometimes known as brimstone) is the earth’s 17th most
abundant chemical element, a vital component of living things and with a multitude of uses, from
fertilisers to car tyres.
Sulphur was mixed with other chemicals, then heated to melting point under a cover glass and left
to cool and crystallise. The rounded shapes were created as a result of agitating the material during
the cooling process, by pressing on the cover glass.
This photo, of a 2.5mm wide sample, was taken through an optical microscope, using polarizing
filters and an adapted Rheinberg illumination system. Polarizers produce ‘interference colours’ (as
seen on an oil film on a wet road) and Rheinberg uses coloured filters.

Midnight Landscape (monosodium glutamate crystals)
Format: PANORAMIC – Vogue Acrylics
Panel sizes:
Image 50″ x 16″ (127 x 40cm)
included:
About this image
Monosodium Glutamate is used as a flavour enhancer in many foods, producing the savoury
‘umami’ taste – one of the five basic tastes together with sweet, sour, bitter and salty.
The pink and grey geometric shapes in the image are fully-formed and partly formed crystals of
monosodium glutamate in a gelatine solution. The dots and swirls are air bubbles of different sizes,
formed as the gelatine solution has contracted.
A 2mm wide sample was photographed through an optical microscope using crossed polarizing
filters and an adapted Rheinberg illumination system. Polarizers enhance contrast and produce
‘interference colours’ (as seen on an oil film on a wet road) following the destruction of some of the
light wavelengths. Rheinberg illumination makes use of coloured filters.

Lightening Strike (carbamide crystals)
Panel sizes:
Image 50″ x 16″ (127 x 40cm)
included:
About this image
Carbamide is produced in the body when proteins are metabolised and broken down. This was the
first organic chemical compound to be formulated synthetically, in 1828, and has since found a
multitude of uses – in nitrogen fertilisers, pesticides, some plastics, animal feeds, glues, detergents
and hair colouring products. It is also used medicinally as a moisturiser.
Crystals of carbamide tend to resemble flakes or shavings. This image was produced by melting a
carbamide sample under a cover glass and allowing it to cool and crystallise. A 2mm wide sample
was photographed through an optical microscope, using crossed polarizing filters. Polarizers
enhance contrast and produce ‘interference colours’ (as seen on an oil film on a wet road), following
the destruction of some of the light wavelengths.

Ice Cubes (silicon chip)
Panel sizes:
Image 50″ x 16″ (127 x 40cm)
included:
About this image
In electronics, a wafer – a thin slice of semi-conductor material such as silicon crystal – acts as the
structural base on which microelectronic devices, such as computer microchips, are built. Solar cells
may also be made from this kind of wafer.
This is a photo taken through an optical microscope, showing a 2.5mm wide area on the underside
of a silicon wafer. A microscopical technique known as Epi-Nomarski differential interference
contrast , suitable where the specimen is opaque and high reflective, was used to enhance contrast
– in this case by means of 3-dimensional relief in shades of grey.

Entanglement (Phensic formula)
Panel sizes:
Image 50″ x 16″ (127 x 40cm)
included:
About this image
The Phensic brand of painkiller now contains only two active ingredients, aspirin and caffeine, but
until the 1970s the chemical phenacetin was also included, and this photo is of crystals formed from
the earlier recipe. Phenacetin was withdrawn from non-prescription medications because of risks of
cancer and kidney failure.
The chemicals were dissolved in warm water and allowed to crystallise. A 2mm wide sample was
photographed through an optical microscope, using crossed polarizing filters and an adapted
Rheinberg illumination system. Polarizers produce ‘interference colours’ (as seen on an oil film on a
wet road), following the destruction of some light wavelengths. Rheinberg illumination makes use of
coloured filters.

Hieroglyph (phenylanthranilic acid crystals)
Saffron Yellow (matte translucent)
Panel sizes:
Image 50″ x 16″ (127 x 40cm)
included:
About this image
Phenylanthranilic acid is used in the preparation of several anti-inflammatory drugs. The chemical
was melted under a cover glass and allowed to crystallise – the very unusual crystalline formation
seen here being found in only one small area of the sample.
This photo of a 2.5mm wide sample was taken through an optical microscope. Crossed polarizing
filters were used to enhance contrast and produce ‘interference colours’ (as seen on an oil film on a
wet road), following the destruction of some of the light wavelengths. In this case, to produce more
intense colours from this very thin sample, a whole wave compensator was added to the system.
Typically, the latter produces blues and yellows on a red background.

Volcanic Shower (monosodium glutamate abstract)
Format: OVERHANG – Vogue Acrylics
Panel sizes:
Image 36″ x 20″ (90 x 50cm)
included:
About this image
Monosodium Glutamate is used as a flavour enhancer in many foods, producing the savoury
‘umami’ taste – one of the five basic tastes together with sweet, sour, bitter and salty.
The blue and pink geometric shapes in the image are fully- and partly- formed crystals of
monosodium glutamate in a gelatine solution. The green dots and swirls are air bubbles of different
sizes, formed as the gelatine solution has contracted.
A 2mm wide sample was photographed through an optical microscope using crossed polarizing
filters and an adapted Rheinberg illumination system. Polarizers enhance contrast and produce
‘interference colours’ (as seen on an oil film on a wet road) following the destruction of some of the
light wavelengths. Rheinberg illumination makes use of coloured filters.

Lava Flow (sulphur crystals)
Format: OVERHANG – Vogue Acrylics
Chilli Red (matte translucent)
Panel sizes:
Image 36″ x 20″ (90 x 50cm)
included:
About this image
many uses, from fertilisers to car tyres. Benzophenone is used in the packaging industry to prevent
goods from ultraviolet light damage.
The chemicals were heated and then left to crystallise. A 2.5mm sample was placed between
crossed polarizing filters and photographed under an optical microscope. Polarizing filters are used
to enhance contrast and produce ‘interference colours’ (as seen on an oil film on a wet road),
following destruction of some of the light wavelengths. In this case, the colours have been digitally
adjusted.

Clematis (coconut butter crystals)
Panel sizes:
Image 24″ x 24″ (60 x 60cm)
included:
About this image
Coconut butter is solidified oil from the white flesh of the coconut. Coconut oil is an important
source of dietary fat, especially in tropical countries, though its high saturated fat content has
implications for health. It is also used as a bio-fuel, engine lubricator and skin moisturiser. The
specimen was melted and then dissolved in a resin mixture and left to crystallise over several
months.
This photo of a 9mm wide sample was taken through an optical microscope, using crossed
polarizing filters and an adapted Rheinberg illumination system. Polarizers enhance contrast and
produce ‘interference colours’ (as seen on an oil film on a wet road) and Rheinberg uses coloured
filters.

Flamenco (sulphur diffraction image)
Panel sizes:
Image 24″ x 24″ (60 x 60cm)
included:
About this image
many uses, from fertilisers to car tyres.
Sulphur was heated to melting point and then left to cool and crystallise. A 2.5mm sample was
placed between crossed polarizing filters and photographed under an optical microscope, with
Polaroid colour reversal film over the rear lens of the microscope objective. Printed with fine red,
blue, and green stripes, the reversal film acted as a diffraction screen.
Polarizing filters are used to enhance contrast and produce ‘interference colours’ (as seen on an oil
film on a wet road), following destruction of some of the light wavelengths.

Treasure (Vitamin C crystals)
Moonlight White (matte opaque)
Panel sizes:
Image 36″ x 16″ (90 x 40cm)
included:
About this image
In this image, Vitamin C has crystallised in a thin layer from a weak aqueous solution. By breathing
at intervals on the developing needle-like crystals, the photographer has varied the growth rate,
producing radiating bands of different shades.
This photo of a 2.5mm wide sample was taken through an optical microscope between crossed
film on a wet road), following the destruction of some of the light wavelengths. In this case, little
colour is produced because of the thinness of the crystal layer.

Mountain Range (paracetamol crystals)
Panel sizes:
Image 36″ x 16″ (90 x 40cm)
included:
About this image
In this image, paracetamol crystals have formed from a thin film of paracetamol/alcohol solution
spread on a glass slide. The photographer has created a framing effect in the image by disturbing
the crystallisation process in two ways.
First, a needle was used to score the film around the edges of the slide, producing a dark border as
the crystals grew away from the scratch marks. Second, breathing on the sample slowed the rate of
crystallisation and produced the inner, more broken line. This photo of a 2.5mm wide sample was
taken through an optical microscope, using crossed polarizing filters to enhance contrast and
produce ‘interference colours’ (as seen on an oil film on a wet road) following destruction of some
light wavelengths.

Aztec Clay (aspirin crystals)
Format: OFFSET – Vogue Acrylics
Sandstone Brown (matte translucent)
Panel sizes:
Image 27″ x 18″ (70 x 45cm)
included:
About this image
The chemical salicylate, derived from willow bark, has been used as a remedy against inflammation,
fever and pain for thousands of years – certainly since the ancient Egyptian period. In a modified
form, aspirin, its importance as a treatment for these conditions continues today. Indeed, the list of
aspirin’s current and potential clinical applications is growing ever longer – including heart disease,
type-2 diabetes and, most recently, cancer.
To create this image, a sample of pure aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid ) was melted under a cover glass
and, whilst the chemical was still molten, the cover glass was removed. For reasons that are not
clear, this technique results in crystals in the unusual concentric circular form seen here.
This photo of a 2.5mm wide sample was taken through an optical microscope between crossed
polarizing filters. The strongly 3-D appearance was created by placing the light source off-centre.
Polarizers enhance contrast and produce ‘interference colours’ (as seen on an oil film on a wet
road), following the destruction of some of the light wavelengths.

Peacock’s Tail (histamine crystals)
Format: OFFSET – Vogue Acrylics
Sandstone Brown (matte translucent)
Panel sizes:
Image 27″ x 18″ (70 x 45cm)
included:
About this image
The protein Histamine is released as part of the body’s immune response, causing an allergic
reaction, ie inflammation (swelling) to help fight off germs. This is a vital weapon against infection,
but in some cases, excessive reaction or inappropriate reaction to a harmless substance (eg dust or
nuts) occurs, causing symptoms such as asthma and itching. Anti-histamines can be used to inhibit
these reactions.
This photo of a 2.5mm wide sample was taken through an optical microscope. Histamine was
allowed to crystallize from a water solution and the crystals were photographed between crossed

Jelly Cubes (silicon chip)
Aurora Violet (matte translucent)
Panel sizes:
Image 36″ x 16″ (90 x 40cm)
included:
About this image
In electronics, a wafer – a thin slice of semi-conductor material such as silicon crystal – acts as the
structural base on which microelectronic devices, such as computer microchips, are built. Solar cells
may also be made from this kind of wafer.
This is a photo taken through an optical microscope, showing a 2.5mm wide section of the lower
surface of a silicon wafer. Epi-Nomarski differential interference contrast, suitable where the
specimen is opaque and high reflective, was used to enhance contrast – in this case by means of
both 3-dimensional relief and the use of colour contrast.

Venetian Glass (diatom abstract)
Frame: TOTAL – Total Frames
White (glossy)
Frame/Panel size:
Image 23″ x 23″ (58 x 58cm)
included:
Hanging ready
About this image
It may look like a piece of Millefiori glassware, but this is a Diatom species of single-cell marine
phytoplankton. It is cylindrical in shape, approximately 0.4mm across, and we are looking at one
end of the cell, which is formed like a lid overlapping a base (think of a Dairy Lea cheese box).
Diatom communities are useful for monitoring environmental conditions, past and present, and are
commonly used in studies of water quality.
The photo was taken through an optical microscope, using the Jamin-Lebedeff system of contrast
enhancement, which converts optical thickness differences in the specimen into colour differences.
The image has been digitally modified.

Snow Goose (quinidine crystals)
White (glossy)
Frame/Panel size:
Image 23″ x 23″ (58 x 58cm)
included:
Hanging ready
About this image
Quinidine is derived from the bark of the cinchona tree and is used in medicine to treat abnormal
heart rhythm and as an anti-malarial treatment.
This image is a modern photograph of a 19th century microscopy slide labelled ‘plumose
Quinidine’, plumose meaning feather-like. The feather like form of these crystals is clearly seen.
The sample, 2.5mm wide, was photographed through an optical microscope between crossed

Michaelmas Daisies (coconut butter crystals)
White (glossy)
Frame/Panel size:
Image 23″ x 23″ (58 x 58cm)
included:
Hanging ready
About this image
Coconut butter is solidified oil from the white flesh of the coconut. Coconut oil is an important
source of dietary fat, especially in tropical countries, though its high saturated fat content has
implications for health. It is also used as a bio-fuel, engine lubricator and skin moisturiser. The
specimen was melted and then dissolved in a resin mixture and left to crystallise over several
months.
This photo of a 9mm wide sample was taken through an optical microscope, using crossed
polarizing filters and an adapted Rheinberg illumination system. Polarizers enhance contrast and
produce ‘interference colours’ (as seen on an oil film on a wet road) and Rheinberg uses coloured
filters.

Starburst (cyanobacteria cells)
Black (glossy)
Frame/Panel size:
Image 23″ x 23″ (58 x 58cm)
included:
Hanging ready
About this image
Gloeotrichia is a type of cyanobacteria or blue-green algae and is commonly responsible for
‘blooms’ in lakes and reservoirs. Contact with it can sometimes cause ‘swimmers’ itch’. The picture
shows a pompom-like colony made up of tapering chains of cells or trichomes.
This photo of a 1.5mm wide specimen was taken through an optical microscope, using dark ground
illumination – a contrast enhancement technique in which the specimen is illuminated with oblique
light. This has created a dark background against which fine details can be seen.

Shell Collection (Vitamin C crystals)
Black (glossy)
Frame/Panel size:
Image 23″ x 23″ (58 x 58cm)
included:
Hanging ready
About this image
In this image, an oxidised form of Vitamin C has crystallised in a thin layer from a weak aqueous
solution. The photographer has scratched the sample to create compartments around and inside
which crystals have formed. The weakness of the solution is evidenced by the scarcity of crystals –
spaces are left where there were not enough crystals to fill the compartments.
A 2.5mm wide sample was photographed (using an everyday compact camera!) through a stereo
microscope, creating a 3-D effect. Darkground illumination was used to create contrast.

River Delta (histamine crystals)
Frame: Vogue Acrylics Custom Wide
Earth Brown (matte translucent)
Panel size (overall):
Background 95″ x 47″ (241 x 120 cm)
consists of 2 semi-panes
included:
Hanging ready
About this image
The protein Histamine is released as part of the body’s immune response, causing an allergic
reaction, ie inflammation (swelling) to help fight off germs. This is a vital weapon against infection,
but in some cases, excessive reaction or inappropriate reaction to a harmless substance (eg dust or
nuts) occurs, causing symptoms such as asthma and itching. Anti-histamines can be used to inhibit
these reactions.
This photo of a 2.5mm wide sample, was taken through an optical microscope. Histamine was
allowed to crystallize from a water solution and the crystals were photographed between crossed

Psychedelia (sulphur mix)
Citron Yellow (matte translucent)
Background 94.5″ x 47″ (240 x 120 cm)
included:
Hanging ready
About this image
This dazzling image is of crystals of sulphur, benzophenone and phenacetin, chemicals which share a
similar melting point.
A mixture of the chemicals was heated to melting point under a cover glass and then left to cool
and crystallise. During cooling, the mix was agitated to prevent the chemicals from combining – a
process which produces variable effects according to the rate of cooling and pressure exerted.

Celestial (octopamine crystals)
included:
Hanging ready
About this image
The neurotransmitter octopamine is so called because it was first discovered in octopuses and its
role in energy-demanding behaviours in invertebrates has been widely studied: it allows the locust
to jump and the firefly to produce light, for example. Likewise in vertebrates it is involved in the
transmission of signals in the nervous system and is included in a group of drugs used to treat
cardiac arrest and low blood pressure. It is reputed, without firm evidence, to assist weight loss.
To produce this image, octopamine was dissolved in an aqueous solution and allowed to crystallise.
The sample was then heated under a cover slide and allowed to crystallise. A 2mm wide sample was
photographed through an optical microscope, using crossed polarising filters to enhance contrast
and produce colour. The colours produced by polarizers are known as ‘interference colours’ – as
seen on an oil film on a wet road – because they involve the destruction of some light wavelengths.

Bird of Paradise (dopamine crystals)
Azure Blue
included:
Hanging ready
About this image
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter which helps activate and control the brain’s pleasure and reward
centres. One of the so-called ‘happiness hormones’ (with serotonin, melatonin and others), it is
manipulated by drugs such as caffeine and is therefore associated with addiction.
Low levels of dopamine are a feature of Parkinson’s disease and conventional treatments to increase
dopamine levels have had limited success. Gene therapy is now undergoing clinical trials, in which
genes coding for dopamine-producing proteins are injected directly into the brain.
Recent experiments suggest that dopamine also influences the way we make decisions, increasing
the importance of ‘gut feeling’ over analytical decision making.
To produce this image, dopamine was allowed to crystallise from an aqueous solution and a 2mm
wide sample was taken through an optical microscope. The sample was placed between crossed
polarizing filters to enhance contrast and produce ‘interference colours’ (as seen on an oil film on a
wet road), following the destruction of some of the light wavelengths.

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