Immersive Medical Imaging Experience at Great Exhibition Road Festival

Smart Medical Imaging CDT students and staff exhibited a medical imaging piece at the Great Exhibition Road Festival (GERF) at Imperial College London on 15-16th June. This year, the festival celebrated how the intersection of science and art fosters human flourishing, and it has seen the biggest turnaround of over 50,000 members of the public of all ages. Other major exhibitors included Science Museum, V&A, Royal Albert Hall, the Natural History Museum and many more. 

The medical imaging piece, entitled Beneath The Skin, aimed to engage the visitors by showcasing the capability to see inside the human body. The central installation was an immersive room which featured large-scale medical images (see above) accompanied by a poem which was narrated through a surrounding soundtrack (listen below). The darkened room illuminated with ambient light gently dancing on the walls to the soundtrack, created a tranquil atmosphere. This allowed the visitors to appreciate the intricate beauty beneath the skin and reimagine medical imaging, which is often associated with discomfort. 

The immersive experience was designed and creatively directed by Angelika Wrona, Senior Communications & Impact Officer at the CDT. The medical images depicting stained cell nuclei were captured with a confocal microscope by Barbara Dworakowska, PhD Candidate, and the poem was written by Charel Junior Mangama Sindzi, PhD Candidate. The audio recording was arranged by Johnathan Jackson, SMI CDT alumnus and Public Engagement Officer. Highly involved in the creative brainstorming sessions were also Anthea MacIntosh-LaRocque, an absolute idea generator, along with Felix Horger, Meng Wei, Nadia Chader and Natasha Patel.

A special thank you goes to all volunteers who took part in this exciting project: Aishwarya Mishra, Aline Buat, Laurene Wagner, Victoria Stomberg, Allen Matt Drews, Ayse Sila Dokumaci, Oluwatosin Alabi, Yaqing Luo, Mariana da Silva and Nathan Wong.

The stand also hosted an interactive space inviting participants to share their visions of medical imaging in 2050. Some of the brilliant ideas can be seen in the collage below.