Body Worlds

Earlier in the afternoon Chris and I went to see Body Worlds, Gunther von Hagens' exhibit of plastinated human bodies, at The Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas. The first time I became aware that such exhibits existed was reading about Mihow's visit to a similar exhibit. I have to admit I was fascinated and determined I needed to see something like this for myself. So Chris and I coughed up the $23.50 ($21.50 + $2 "convenience fee" to buy each ticket online) each to see the exhibit. It wasn't worth the money. In our opinion, the exhibit should have cost around $10-15 a person since it only took about an hour to complete.

Overall, I found the exhibit fascinating. I saw parts of bodies that I've never seen before. I learned a bit more about anatomy yesterday. However, I was somewhat put off by two things. The first an most glaring thing that put me off was some of the poses the bodies were put into...such as a man riding a horse who was holding both his brain and the brain of the horse, the body with a white hat (the place card said something about blurring the lines between life and death), and the gymnast in a pose on the rings. It felt less like a scientific study of the body and more like the creator was trying to be artistic. Chris and I spent quite a bit of time discussing the blurring of lines the exhibit seemed to do. Was it art or science? The second thing that bothered me was the philosophical quotes that lined the banners of the exhibit. All types of quotes from famous philosophers regarding the body and soul, life and death, the afterlife, etc. For an exhibit that has a "primary goal of health education," according to the mission page of bodyworlds.com, I would question the purpose of the quotes.

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