Culture

Human Body Art Exhibition at the Ontario Science Centre

by Tomitheos | October 10, 2009 at 10:57 am

2051 views | 78 Recommendations | 6 comments

The Body Worlds Exhibition has returned to Toronto displaying plastinated models with the inner anatomy and organs made from real human body parts taken from corpses.

Now, before we start questioning if this is what really happens to organ donations in the name of science, keep in mind that the 'Body Worlds' showing was compiled from a body donor program for plastination and has since taken the incentive of using the Ontario Science Centre forum to inform the public with a clever addition in education with 'The Story of the Heart' supplement to the anatomy displays.

Having returned from a previous showing from four years ago, this second Body Worlds Exhibition is an entirely new perspective of the human body helping the general public attendees explore their own bodies with an intricate visual perspective featuring more than 200 authentic specimens that far surpasses the available online information or the restricted findings from forensic coroners and medical examiners. Although, revealing the inner anatomical structure of dead bodies and having them on display for profit has offended some and has many others believing that it is a violation of respect that was owed to the exhibited dead.

With gruesome visuals, and just in time for the Halloween crowd, the presentation itself is not for the easily nauseated individuals as some of the organs implemented in the body art are from real humans and many of these speciments are realistic slices of plastinated body parts propped in forms of active human life-like poses.

However, the underlined goal to the attraction is to present the human anatomy and physiology in a transparent way that may urge or perhaps to trigger a conscious effort in the audience to lead a more healthier lifestyle. Focusing on the heart, lifestyle changes are encouraged as visitors make their way around dozens of fascinating specimens that where produced by Dr. Angelina Whalley (director of the Institute for Plastination in Germany).

The showing will run until February 28, 2010 and may draw large crowds surpassing the 500,000 visitors that the same exhibition attracted back in 2005.

~Tomitheos reporting from Toronto

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amyjudd

flagged this story as Eyewitness Report

at 11:47 on October 10th, 2009

This is an eyewitness report from the NowPublic member Tomitheos who was on the scene.

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Amy Judd

at 11:49 on October 10th, 2009

This is really interesting to me in the fact that it is trying to help people lead a healthier life. We had a similar exhibition in Vacouver a few years ago and there was no mention of how to eat better or anything, it was much more like 'ok these used to be people, let's look at all their insides!'

mgmirkin

at 13:43 on October 10th, 2009

Hmm, interesting... Perhaps it will encourage people not to eat lunch that day... Or for a few weeks, while recollecting the display. ;)

It sounds interesting. If not especially for the faint of heart. I'd say I "heart" this exposition, but that might be a bit of an exaggeration.

Joking aside, it seems like it would be kind of cool to see our insides put on display. See what different lifestyles or diets lead to, in terms of its effects on our innards, etc.