Breathtaking exhibit on the human body at The Denver Museum of Nature and Science
I Sing the Body Electric
By Mollie Fager, 3-14-06
Last Thursday I had the privilege of attending the opening night reception for the Body Worlds II exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Sciencehttp://www.dmns.org"> http://www.dmns.org. This educational exhibit displays real human cadavers and various body parts that have been plastinated. This unique preservation process allows the body to be displayed in plain air, without formaldehyde or other chemicals. Even more fascinating is that the bodies are sliced, diced and exposed in such a way that the observer can actually see inside the bodies and look at real organs or look at muscles “in action” so to speak. The exhibit’s creator has taken the cadavers, both male and female, and posed them doing athletic moves such as kicking a soccer ball or figure skating. This allows the observer to see the muscles as they would really look if one had x-ray vision during a sporting event.
The exhibit also shows various body parts, and in particular organs, that have been damaged due to diseases. In many cases these diseases were the result of dangerous lifestyle choices such as alcoholism or smoking. Just one look at the blackened lungs of the many specimens on display and I again thanked the universe that the few rebellious cigarettes I had in high school did not result in cigarette addiction. Perhaps most controversial in the exhibit is a purposefully unobtrusive room which shows fetuses in various stages of early development, suspended in liquid, and then later stage fetuses that are plastinated, curled like nauticals on the display stand. At the end of this room is the cadaver of a woman, skin spread back and organs revealed to show her five-month-old fetus, still in utero inside her body. Amazing. I left the room not questioning my personal beliefs about abortion, although it is sure to raise the issue for many observers. I left the room in awe over the miracle of the human body, DNA and our ability to create life from a single cell. Has humankind ever been able to manufacture anything greater? A more perfect machine? I don’t think so.
Unfortunately I missed the talk by the East German physician and scientist who created the exhibit, Dr. Gunther Von Hagen. I am told it was inspiring and that he spoke of his desire to demystify the human body for the masses and encourage people to live healthy lifestyles. A colleague of mine remarked that for her the most significant aspect of the exhibit was that as the observer you were totally unaware of the cadavers’ races. In other words, race has no real meaning in death. We all have the same parts underneath the skin. We are all human and no one cheats death.
I left the exhibit with a reaffirmed sense of the human body as an art form. If you go see the exhibit, and I really hope you do, you’ll understand how this rivals just about any visual arts show you could go see. The bodies are displayed with creativity and beauty. The image still haunting me is the entire arterial network of a man’s head suspended in liquid and perfectly formed into his features—as if the skin, bone and muscle magically dissolved leaving only a red, filigree mask of lifelines. This exhibit is not for the faint of heart but even if you’re squeamish, give it your best shot. It is one of the more thought provoking displays I’ve seen in a long time, one that may just have you “singing the body electric.”
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