"Flythrough"
A Virtual Voyage through the Human Body
Lynn Krywick Gibbons Gallery, July 14 - September 19, 1999
Visual thinking and visualization skills play a significant role in many disciplines
beyond the traditional art world. In the Stanford Medical School Department of Radiology's
3D Imaging Laboratory, radiologists and scientists have developed revolutionary methods to
examine the inside of the human body without physical probes, by means of rendering volumetric
imaging data from computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using
specialized computer software.
The resulting imagery allows physicians to visualize pathology in scenes that closely
approximate the real world, as opposed to the grayscale radiographs. The "flythrough" and
"flyaround" simulations help identify and understand disease processes affecting many organs
in the body. As the research progresses, these techniques may help spare the patient the
discomfort and risk of mechanical exploratory methods.
Digital Artist Greg Lam Niemeyer and Composer Seungyon-Seny Lee designed a multimedia
installation to present this material to the general public for the first time.
"Flythrough: a Virtual Voyage through the Human Body" invites museum visitors to observe the
results of this type of testing, through visual animations that are fascinating, descriptive,
and unexpectedly beautiful.