Body Worlds

From Freepedia

Image:Bodyworlds2.jpg

Body Worlds (German title: Körperwelten) is a travelling exhibition of preserved human bodies and body parts, prepared with a technique called plastination to reveal inner organs or structures. Its developer and promoter is German anatomist Gunther von Hagens, who invented the plastination technique. The exhibition, first presented in Tokyo in 1995, has been shown in many cities in Europe and Asia; the catalogue for the North American tour of the exhibition, which began in Los Angeles in 2004, claims that more than 15 million people have seen Body Worlds (and a second traveling show, Body Worlds 2) between 1995 and early 2004.

The exhibit states that its purpose and mission is the education of laymen about the human body, leading to better health awareness; all of the plastinates are willing donors who wished to be of use even after their own deaths. Body Worlds consists of about 25 full body plastinates with expanded or selective organs shown in positions which enhance the role of certain systems. Cased in glass amidst the upright bodies are over 200 specimins showing prosthetics such as artificial hip joints or heart valves within real human bodies, cyrosis of the liver, and the lungs of a smoker and non-smoker side by side. A curtained off Prenatal wing features a woman who died 8 months into pregnancy; her unborn fetus died shortly thereafter. She is shown reclining and a large flap exposing her insides like an x-ray. You can see her baby, almost fully formed, and how it shoved its mother's inner organs out of the way. The last exhibit hall features a rearing horse and rider, which words cannot describe. All exhibits are accompanied with detailed descriptions, and Audio Guides are available with the option of Beginner and Advanced (laymen/medical).

The shows have been surrounded by controversy for a number of reasons. Von Hagens prepared some "artistic" exhibits, such as a man carrying his own skin (based on a 16th century drawing by Gaspar Becerra); a man on horseback holding his brain in one hand, the horse's brain in the other; or a man kneeling in prayer, holding his heart in his hands. These are seen by some as denigrating the deceased. Some religious groups object to any public exhibition of human corpses. Others accuse von Hagens of sensationalism. Supporters counter that all displayed people did sign over their bodies to von Hagens.

There have been allegations that von Hagens used the bodies of executed Chinese prisoners. These have been backed up by documents from the corpse-processing facility in Dalian, in northeastern China. Further controversy surrounds von Hagen's use of the professor title he obtained from the University of Dalian. In January 2004, the Düsseldorf Ministry of Science officially forbade him from using the title in future publications.

Von Hagens maintains strict copyright control over pictures of his exhibits. Visitors are not allowed to take pictures, and press photographers have to sign agreements permitting only one publication in a strictly defined context, followed by return of the copyright to von Hagens. Because of this, a German press organization has suggested that the press refrain from reporting about the exhibition altogether.

In 2003, officials of Munich tried to prohibit the exhibition there, arguing that it violate human dignity and laws regulating burials. Von Hagens appealed and managed to obtain a temporary injunction allowing the exhibition but requiring that the artistic exhibits mentioned above be covered.

The exhibition in Hamburg in 2003 took place in the rooms of an erotic art museum on the Reeperbahn. Initial objections of a local official to the artistic exhibits were overruled by officials of the Hamburg Senate.

Contents

Exhibition schedule

Includes past, present, and future exhibitions

Original Exhibit

Body Worlds 2

Image:BodyWorldsKorea.jpg

Notable exhibits

The Chess Player

This exhibit shows a man sitting and playing chess, with his brain exposed

The Basketball Player

The donator of the body for this exhibit had the greatest muscle mass by far, compared to other donators. These muscles are left intact, and the body dribbles a basketball in its right hand. The top of the skull is also separated from the head to reveal the brain underneath.

The Swimmer

One of the few women featured in the exhibition, the swimmer's body is split in half laterally. The two halves are displayed swimming away from each other.

The Archer

Another of the women featured in the exhibition, the archer is poised in a crouch after releasing the bow string. Her brain is situated above her skull for easy viewing.

The Runner

A runner is caught mid-stride with his muscles fanned out to show their complexity.

The Equestrian

This exhibit features a man riding a horse. Both the man and horse are plastinated, with the man's front and back separated from the rest of his body.

Winged Man

Image:Bodyworlds-Preg. Woman.jpg

The muscles of Winged Man are splayed outwards, giving a rough wing-like appearance. Winged Man also wears a Panama hat, and is standing on a continuously rotating platform.

(Pregnant woman)

One of the more controversial exhibits is an 8-months pregnant woman, laying on her side with her arm propping her upper body up. The bottom of her torso is cut away to reveal a curled fetus inside. A nearby sign states that this woman decided to donate her body and the fetus when she was informed that she had a terminal disease.

(Blood vessel family)

This exhibit includes a man, a woman, and a child on top of the man's shoulders. These bodies were prepared by injecting a red dye and plastinating agent into their blood vessels, then using chemicals and ultrasound to dissolve away their flesh and bones. As a result, only the circulatory system is left behind.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has more media related to:

Further reading

  • Franz Josef Wertz, Brigitte Tag (eds.): "Schöne Neue Körperwelten, Der Streit um die Ausstellung", Klett-Cotta Verlag, Stuttgart 2001. Sixteen authors discuss the various ethical and aesthetical aspects of Body Worlds, in German.
Retrieved from "http://en.freepedia.org/Body_Worlds.html"


Views
Personal tools
In other languages
Similar Links