How it works
Four steps stand between you and a permanent mark on a global artwork. The whole process takes about two minutes.
01
Explore the Canvas
Find your place in the artwork.
Open the live canvas and navigate freely — pan with drag, zoom with scroll or pinch. The canvas is 640 × 360 pixels at Stage 1, representing 230,400 individual positions.
Available pixels appear as dark navy squares. Already-claimed pixels show the color chosen by their contributor. Click any available pixel to select it, or switch to Paint mode to drag-select multiple pixels at once.
You can select up to 1,000 pixels in a single transaction. Each pixel costs exactly $1 USD, so select however many you want.
Zoom up to 40×
Inspect individual pixels at any scale
Three selection modes
Single · Paint · Erase
Hover to preview
See the owner and message before you click
Touch-native
Pinch to zoom, drag to pan on mobile
Live Canvas · 640×360
3 pixels selected · $3.00
02
Choose Your Color
Your pixel. Your expression.
Pick a color from the curated palette of 35 presets, or use the full hex color picker to choose any color in the visible spectrum. The color you choose is permanent — it will never change once the purchase is confirmed.
If you select multiple pixels, you can apply the same color to all of them at once, or assign each pixel an individual color. Your selections appear highlighted in real time on the canvas.
There are no rules about which colors are "right" — contribute to an existing color cluster, create contrast, or start something entirely new.
35 color presets
Curated warm, cool, earth, and neon tones
Full hex input
Any of the 16.7 million visible colors
Live preview
See your color on the canvas before confirming
Permanent
Color is locked once purchase is complete
Color picker
03
Leave Your Dedication
A message that outlasts you.
Every contribution can carry a message — up to 280 characters. Write a tribute to someone you love, a note to a future stranger, a line of poetry, or whatever feels right. Your words become part of the artwork's permanent human record.
Choose how your dedication appears: as a "Standard" message visible immediately, or as a "Time Capsule" with a reveal date you set — hidden until that moment, then visible to anyone who discovers it later.
You can contribute anonymously or under an alias, choose whether your message is public or private, and indicate whether you're comfortable with it being shown in potential physical exhibitions.
Up to 280 characters
Enough for a poem, a letter, or a name
Time Capsule mode
Set a future reveal date for your message
Public or private
Control who can see your dedication
195 countries
Represent your country in the global record
Dedication panel
Your name or alias
aurora_wave
Your message
"For my daughter, who sees the world in color."
52 / 280
Time Capsule
Standard
04
Become Part of History
Your mark is permanent.
Once your payment is confirmed via Stripe, your pixel or pixels become a permanent part of the artwork. They cannot be removed, overwritten, or reassigned — they are yours.
You receive a digital certificate of contribution with a unique ID, your pixel coordinates, your color, and your dedication. You also earn the Founding Stage badge — a permanent marker that you were part of the first stage of this global artwork.
Share your contribution card with the world. Your pixels will appear in the live canvas immediately, visible to anyone who visits the artwork — now and for the life of the project.
Digital certificate
Unique ID, coordinates, and badge
Founding badge
Exclusive to Stage 1 contributors
Country ranking
Your contribution lifts your country
Shareable card
Generate a social-ready contribution card
Certificate of Contribution
The Human Canvas
Founding Stage · 2025
Our commitments to you
What you can expect when you contribute — no surprises.
Permanent by design
Every contribution is recorded in a write-once ledger. Once confirmed, your pixel cannot be removed by us, overwritten by another user, or modified — unless legally required as stated in the Terms of Service.
Secure payment via Stripe
All payments are processed through Stripe, a PCI DSS Level 1 certified payment processor. Your card details are never stored on our servers.
No blockchain, no gas fees
This is not an NFT or crypto project. No wallet required. No volatile token prices. Just a $1 USD contribution, a color, and a message.
Privacy you control
Your real name is never required. You choose your alias. You choose whether your message is public or private. You can update your privacy preferences at any time from your profile.
Global, open forever
The canvas is publicly accessible to anyone with a browser — no account required to explore. Contributions are visible globally as soon as they are confirmed.
Exhibition-ready
The artwork is being built to technical standards suitable for large-scale display in cultural institutions. If a museum or gallery chooses to exhibit it, your pixel will be part of that experience.
