You may have heard about this in the news. It's a world tour exhibition created by the German scientist Gunther von Hagens, and it features real human corpses on anatomical display. The bodies (all donated) have been treated by a process called "plastination" which replaces body fluids with clear, pliable plastic, making it possible to position not only cadavers, but internal systems such as blood vessels into dynamic poses.
This might sound exceptionally morbid, and I must admit a macabre interest in this sort of thing, but really the exhibition was incredibly tasteful and accessible to all. There were people there from all walks of life, every nationality, young and old, families with small children, and senior citizens.
The exhibition has been so popular (over 650,000 people have seen it in LA alone, 15 million worldwide) that the museum stayed opened 24 hours a day for the last weekend of the show. Tickets eventually sold out, but I was able to get reservations for the 9:45 PM entrance last night.
Even though it was incredibly crowded, I felt a strange sense of intimacy seeing the insides of real human beings revealed for all to see. It made me appreciate the human body for the exquisite and remarkable vessel that it is, and seeing the displays of diseased organs made me want to take good care of my body.
The exhibition now moves on to Chicago, but Angelenos who missed it or want to see more won't have to wait long. Body Worlds 2 opens for a two-month run starting next weekend!
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