"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.