The frame standing on a light oak desk beside a keyboard and a white mug, its coloured cursors hanging behind fine strands

One Cursor String Art

34 little cursors in 6 colours sit on 8 layers of fine translucent strands. Look straight at it and they line up into one giant pointer.

String art · 8 layers

Thirty-four cursors, one pointer.

Thirty-four little cursors in six colours, set on eight layers of fine translucent strands. Face it and they line up into one giant cursor, pointing up and to the left.

Only from the front

Step aside and it comes apart.

The cursors sit on eight slides, about 1.6 in from the front layer to the back one. Walk past it and the big cursor breaks into eight loose rows; stand in front again and they click back into one.

Eight layers, one picture.

No single slide holds the cursor. Each carries three to five small ones; together they fill it in, edge to edge.

Up close

Small enough for a desk corner.

About 7.9 in square and 2 in deep, and big enough to read from across the room.

The frame from the right side: the cursors on the deeper layers have slid out of line with the front ones
From this side the arrow already looks like scattered confetti. Step back to the middle and it snaps together.
The frame from above and to the right: the cursors sit at different depths behind the strands
From above you can see the cursors sit at different depths. The strands are fine enough that they seem to hang in the air.
One strand slide lifted halfway out of the frame, three cursors on it
I swapped two slides around just to see the arrow break, then put them back.

One Cursor String Art

A desk frame of eight sliding layers where thirty-four small cursors become one.

1
frame
1
top bar
8
slides

This page was built by 34 cursors while you scrolled. Every one of them is on the frame.

The details.

Size
7.9 in wide, 7.9 in tall, 2 in deep
Weight
About 8.8 oz
Cursors
34, each about 1 in long
Colours
Six flat matte colours: amber, coral, violet, sky blue, green and teal
Layers
8 slides, each lifting straight up out of its own channel
Strands
54 translucent strands per slide, about 1/8 in apart
Picture depth
About 1.6 in, front layer to back
Frame
Warm white, softly rounded corners, stands on its own on a desk or shelf

Good to know.

How big is it?

About 7.9 in wide, 7.9 in tall and 2 in deep, and it weighs about 8.8 oz. The big cursor fills most of the window, a little under 7 in from tip to tail.

Why does the big cursor only show from the front?

The small cursors are spread over eight slides, about 1.6 in deep in all. They are placed to meet only when you face the frame, so from an angle they part and you see the layers instead.

Do the slides come out?

Yes. Lift the top bar off and each slide lifts straight up out of its channel. Set them back in the same order, front to back, then sit the bar back on top.

Is there a back panel?

No. The cursors are carried by fine translucent strands, so whatever is behind the frame shows through around them.

Where does it go?

It stands on its own on a desk or a shelf. Put it where you will see it straight on, such as beside a monitor, so the cursor lines up when you look at it.