Bodies - The Exhibition

[keen on kean]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 9:55am

I just bought some very expensive tickets to see this show at the South Street Seaport. Anyone seen it? I am a little creeped out by the fact that these are/were actual bodies. This from someone who dissected a cadaver in Anatomy and Physiology class! Was it instructive/interesting?

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 10:42am

I couldn't bring myself to go inside. From the photos I've seen, they all look like beef jerky.

[kasim]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 10:43am

i actually went to it this weekend.

Being that i went to microbiology from biology because i was grossed out by anatomy it wasnt hte funnest experience

But it is really neat. They have some areas where people are in different poses and different items showing. Some of the cooler things is where they died the arteries and veins.

I am sure you will enjoy it.

... :) btw if u booked the tickets online you can also get a free subway fare to and from :) or if u ask for it when you get there.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 10:44am

we almost got tickets a year ago last summer when we were in Chicago, but we would have had to hang around the museum for 4 hours until we could get in, so we didn't.
I have heard it's a very interesting exhibit

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 10:44am

The tickets are over-priced for sure. Make sure you check out the old buildings while you're down there. They are beautiful. I loathe the sea-port, but the architecture is fantastic.

I didn't much like the exhibit, it felt dated to me. My bf is a scientist so I've been exposed to that kind of thing for quite sometime. For tourists I can it being very interesting. It is also creepy.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 11:02am

I loved the exhibit -- not creepy at all. The human body is an amazing thing. The stages of the fetus, smoker's lungs, the red dyed veins and arteries, and the big penises were a highlight for me.

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 11:22am

Yeah... I sort of refused to pay the high admission price. Plus there was all the controversy of whether human rights violations occurred in using these bodies.

[AbbaRabbit]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 11:30am

i saw body worlds 2 in boston in december
which i'm guessing is very similar

i thought it was really cool.
but then again i'm the offspring of an emt and a former pathology tech. none of that stuff grosses me out.
although the baby room was kind of sad. i went with my cousin tony and he lost a baby brother so we didn't stay in the baby room too long.

the one i went to see, the bodies were donated for that reason. you had to specify that you wanted your body to go to the exibit in order for them to use it, so i dont see how human rights were violated for this one, but that may not be the case for the one you're talking about.

[2373]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 12:51pm

I enjoyed it for the most part but I did not agree with certain specimens that were more "art" than science.

**SPOILER ALERT**

One specimen is of a body whose skeleton has been separated from its skin - the skin and skeleton face each other, gripping the others hands, leaning back.

This had no scientific value at all and I just didn't "get it." I felt that particular body had been exploited and it made me uncomfortable and sad. That was someone's sweetheart, son, brother, etc.

Other than that, the exhibit was very fascinating and I agree that the dyed (not, died) arteries and veins exhibit was INCREDIBLE!

I handled the exhibit very well until we got to the specimen that had been fileted (like steak) into inch-thick cuts and layed out in such a way as to appear to be about 9 feet tall.

That almost made me lose my lunch.

The weirdo that I am, I couldn't help but notice each and every weiner and butthole (with hair, I might add) kept on each specimen. What is wrong with me?

Oh, almost each specimen was of Asian decent and only one was female.

That's it!

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 1:00pm

Abba, from what I understand, the bodies in "Bodies - The Exhibition" were bodies in morgues that no one claimed. Alas, no one knows how they got there.

[DBillyP]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 1:10pm

I saw Body Worlds in Dallas earlier this year. It is absolutely fascinating. The human body, indeed, is amazing.

As was mentioned before, all of the bodies in Body Worlds have been donated for this purpose. There is information at the exit of the exhibit about donating your body.

2373, in the audioguide to Body Worlds, the creator talks about art versus science. He is a scientist, but he observed that the exhibit needed to be artistic or no one would want to see it. Hence, he created displays with the bodies as gymnasts, ice skaters, etc.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 1:15pm

There are several Body exhibits out there right now. Body Worlds is the original and it is the one that I saw. As DBillyP just stated, ALL of the bodies in this exhibit were donated/willed to Dr. Gunther von Hagens.

"Purpose of the Exhibit:
The exhibition features more than 200 authentic human specimens, including entire bodies as well as individual organs and transparent body slices. Using the revolutionary process of Plastination, the body specimens are preserved with special plastics that enable us to view the many organs and systems under our skin. The exhibit also allows for guests to understand diseases, the effects of tobacco consumption and use of artificial supports such as knees and hips.

What is Plastination?:
Invented by Dr. Gunther von Hagens in 1977, the plastination process replaces the natural fluids in the specimen with liquid reactive plastics that are hardened and cured with gas, light or heat depending on the polymer used. Before hardening the plastic in the specimens, the plastinates are fixed into lifelike poses, illustrating how our bodies internally respond to everyday movements and activities.

This unique process also provides the flexibility and strength needed to display and preserve the specimens in their true-to-life form, without the use of glass barriers and formaldehyde.

The Exhibit:
Approximately 25 whole bodies, referred to in the exhibit as "plastinates," reveal the true-to-life spatial relationships among organs. Some plastinates are authentically posed playing soccer or basketball, pondering a chess move, swimming and running, allowing visitors to comprehend the interconnectedness of the muscle, organ and vascular systems and view them in various positions.

Plastinates on Display Include :
The Teacher - Photo - The nervous system is shown in precise detail. Most of the muscles have been removed, and a number of "windows" have been cut into the bones in order to display numerous nerve pathways.

The Smoker - The skeletal system is revealed on the left side of the body and on the right, so that guests can view the muscular system. Combined, these two systems form the locomotive system. The smoker's blackened lungs can be seen through the spaces between the ribs.

Rearing Horse with Rider - Photo - Although there are major differences in proportion, guests can discover the similar anatomical arrangement between horse and man in the form, position and microscopic structures of their organs and muscles.

The Jumping Dancer - Photo - While jumping up with all extremities stretched in front of the body, the back of the trunk has been opened downwards. Lowest is the brain, which in turn rests on the occipital bone.

Organ Man - The gastrointestinal tract and liver are shifted so that visitors can clearly see all the organs. The lower part of the liver displays several cancerous growths, and the gallbladder is filled with gallstones. At back, the vertebral column and the spinal cord are visible along the plastinate's middle"

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 1:17pm

at night they all come back to life.

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 1:19pm

RE: Bodies - The Exhibition

From wikipedia:
While the exhibit's representatives claim that all of the bodies were obtained through the Dalian Medical University Plastination Laboratories in China, human rights campaigners point out that Dalian University "[has] had been previously implicated in the use of executed prisoners for commercial purposes".[1] If the bodies are those Chinese prisoners whose bodies were used without their consent, it may be a violation of human rights and of Chinese law.

[ahmelie]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 1:41pm

How long is this supposed to be open? I'd be interested in going to see it this summer if I could.

ETA: Nevermind, it's supposed to open here in Pittsburgh soon. Are they exactly the same in each city?

Updated On: 5/22/07 at 01:41 PM

[keen on kean]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 5:16pm

The NYC exhibit runs through July 31. Thanks for all the input. After I go, I'll let you know what I thought.-

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 6:24pm

I found this completely overpriced. I love science and medicine but I felt after seeing one chopped up body put in a certain position, I had seen them all. If you're interested in seeing body parts and bodies, do some creative googling or check out a medical book. Don't pay the ridiculous admission price.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 6:55pm

I'm a Bio geek, Hell- I'm an everything geek, so I loved it. It was so interesting but by the end of the exhibit, I felt my brain couldn't handle another fact.

[One Song Glory]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 7:03pm

I saw the exhibition on a school field trip, and I loved it. The different ways they positioned and used the bodies were actually very cool to look at.