Body Worlds Freak Show Makes The Dead Live Again
I went to see an exhibition at The O2 yesterday called the Body Worlds & The Mirror of Time, which I quite simply would describe as the dead being almost brought back to life again. It took a wee while for my head to get around the fact that you are looking at 25 real human bodies and over 200 real human body parts as you tour around the exhibition.
The Body Worlds web site describes what the show is about better than I ever could – “The exhibition shows the complexity and vulnerability of the human body through anatomical studies of the body in distress, disease and optimal health.
At every stage of its life cycle, the human body experiences changes and milestones. Find out the effects smoking and disease have on the human body – and discover the changes that take place as the body moves through different experiences in its lifetime.”
What I found truly fascinating was that they actually use real life bodies and parts during the exhibition, if I never knew this before hand, I would have just assumed that what they used was just wax models or something like that. The bodies and parts, which have been used have been donated to Body Worlds, by people that after there deaths, wish to become part of a freak show circus. Maybe they all had dreams of joining the cirucs when they were wee kids and in death they have finally achieved their dream.
The exhibition’s developer and promoter is the German anatomist Gunther von Hagens, I remember when I first heard about this wackjob, was way back in 2002 when he performed the first public autopsy in the UK for 170 years at the Atlantis Gallery in London. This guy sure knows how to grab your attention.
In 1977 von Hagens invented the technique called plastination in order to preserve human bodies and body parts in what they describe, “as allowing the specimens to be displayed in aesthetically pleasing way”. The public obviously have a morbid fascination, with this type of thing because it is the worlds biggest touring show and has been seen by more than 25 million people live, since 1996.
Even though the Body Worlds & The Mirror of Time is in my mind nothing more than some crazy freak show, it still held my attention. It is an interesting enough show, that is informative and educational as well as being disturbing. Whether I would ever go to such an exhibition again, I would rather not. I could possible add this one to my very strange places to take a date in London.
For those that are interested in spending an hour or so visiting the biggest freak show in London, you better hurry up because it ends in August. Ticket prices are £10 per person week days and £12 at the weekends, which represents reasonable good value for money in London, which is one of the most expensive cities in the world.
One thing that I truly hated about the Body Worlds exhibition, was that it reminded me that I’m getting older…. and there isnt too much I can do about it. But one thing I do know is that this freak show is never gonna get my body for it to be gawped at, for the publics amusement for the benefit of making lots of money for the Body Worlds organisation, which is basically the point of the whole thing!
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” Henry Ford
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We went to see that today – it was quite intersting.
Did you fill out the form to donate your body for future shows, I gave that a big miss…..
Not a chance. I am an organ donar but the idea of Body Worlds is interesting but freaks me out on some level.
I hve seen the exhibition and is quite interesting. What i liked most is the way they sent a msg of how we hve to take care of our body. Eat healthy and the good thing abt excercise to keep fit and live longer
But to donate my body is one thing i cant do.