Are you intrigued by the human body? Do you hold a curiosity, perhaps even a morbid curiosity, for what makes our bodies unique and how they work?
If you do, I’d highly recommend Dr. Gunther von Hagens “Body Worlds” exhibit at MOSI (The Museum of Science and Industry, 4801 E Fowler Ave # 100, Tampa, FL 33617, (813) 987-6315).
At $18.95, the ticket price includes both the extensive Body Worlds exhibit but also, for a limited time, one standard IMAX® Dome Theatre film. You will want to make a day of it, as MOSI, the IMAX Dome and the Body Worlds exhibit are all quite robust, and you’ll want to devote as much time as you can to each exhibit.
Dr. Gunther von Hagens is the world’s leading public anatomist and originator of contemporary anatomical exhibitions. His exhibition, BODY WORLDS & The Story of the Heart offers insights on the human body and disease, and looks closely at the heart—revealing through the lens of anatomy, cardiology, psychology and culture how this four-chambered muscle nourishes, regulates and sustains life.
The process that the Body Worlds exhibit uses to preserve life in such amazing detail is Plastination. Invented by scientist and anatomist Dr. Gunther von Hagens in 1977, Plastination is the groundbreaking method of halting decomposition and preserving anatomical specimens for scientific and medical education. Plastination is the process of extracting all bodily fluids and soluble fat from specimens, replacing them through vacuum forced impregnation with reactive resins and elastomers, and then curing them with light, heat, or certain gases, which give the specimens rigidity and permanence.
The plastinates are both beautiful and, occasionally, ghastly. Coming to terms that these are the same parts inside of all of us is a lot to wrap your head around. Even at 29 years old, it takes a lot for me to come to terms with the sum of my parts, and how my actions effect my worldly vessel. The exhibit takes each plastinate to extremes, showing how individual muscle and nerve groups work, how certain bones work with others and how different tasks and positions cause the body to work in different ways. When put into perspective, this is a wonderful exhibit of humanity as seen through the eyes of science and art.
As you make your way through the exhibit, you’re taken through individual body systems in various forms. There is one exhibit showing the extracted nervous system. Another shows the interaction of male and female as exploded views, showing the separation of spine and brain from the rest of their systems. As science, they are brilliant. As art, they are stunning.
One theme carried throughout the exhibit is how our actions affect our health. There are exhibits of lungs with emphysema, healthy lungs, lungs with cancer and the lungs of a smoker. Seeing the drastic differences between them makes me think twice about picking up another cigarette. There’s also a breakdown of a fatty liver, caused by alcohol abuse. Another exhibit shows obesity and how it crowds organs and destroys health. It’s all very stark and dire when put into perspective of how we continually break down our once-healthy bodies.
Another exhibit shows the life cycle, from the smallest fetus at only a few weeks through a near-birth. Anyone who has ever lost a child or been close to the death of a child may want to avoid this particular section, which is easily to do as it’s off in a corner. I saw more than one person visible upset by it, though I’m sure they understand just as I understand why it’s important to be there. Dr. Gunther von Hagens gives us the truth in as real a format as we can hope for and I’m glad there’s no censorship in this exhibit.
As you get to the end of the exhibit, there’s a non-human exhibit, showing a Camel and it’s offspring in the same dissectional plastination as the other models. This was especially intriguing to me both because of the size of the animal and how complicated their internals are. I honestly could have spent an hour just looking at this exhibit.
I encourage anyone who is curious about anatomy or wants to see art and science come together in a unique way to check out the Body Worlds Exhibit.
surrealmuse, 2 years ago
Excellent article of the new exhibit at Mosi for those those of us that have yet to check it out.
When I first moved to Tampa, I lived right behind Mosi, but I’ve never checked it out yet. We’ve been thinking of popping in for a visit to the planetarium sometime though.