Event 3: Body Worlds

Digestive System Display

For my second event, I visited the Body Worlds exhibit at the California Science Center. The exhibit features human organs and organ systems separated and preserved, enabling viewers of the exhibit to view first hand the different structures and functions of different parts of the human body. Thought the exhibit showed primarily individual systems, it conveyed well the interdependence of the systems on each other.

Ancient Egyptian Dissection
Being at the exhibit made me realize how far the human understanding of the human body and the representation of the human body has come. The first instances of dissections of recorded trace back to Ancient Egyptians (Vesna). After the death of Egyptians, their bodies would be cut open and mummified. This process often entailed skilled morticians altering the bodies in ways that preserved them for thousands of years. This process has been captured in much Egyptian art and is well-known today. Art and science were truly joined in this undertaking. Like the exhibit at the California Science Center, these drawings provided Egyptians and the viewers of their art with a representation of the human body (Buck).

In 1979, the idea of Body Worlds was conceived by Guther von Hagens. Through the process of plastination, in which water and lipid molecules are chemically extracted form the body and plastic polymers replace them (Grant). The exhibits featured items like non-decaying bodies playing poker, performing gymnastics, and other common activities, as well as displaying organ systems.

Body Worlds Cadaver Playing the Sax
Heart Exhibit
Like many new forms of art however, Body Worlds was called into question. The idea of human bodies being displayed for profit very much disturbed some people, despite it luring many crowds. It was outlawed in France, among other places, under the premise that “under the law, the proper place for corpses is in the cemetery” and that "it was a violation of the respect owed to them” (Schecter). Counter arguments for the exhibit included the fact the people voluntarily gave their bodies and as many as 6,000 people are on the waiting list (Grant). Another counter argument was that showing the organ systems was very informative. The benefits of living healthy lifestyles are very visually displayed and were thought to encourage healthy living (“Dead Body Show…”). At the California Science Center, there were no corpses performing daily activities, but the display of organ systems was certainly informative.





Brain Exhibit


 Works Cited

Buck, Alanah. “Death, Decay, and Dissection in Ancient Egypt.” Western Australia Museum. Western Australia Museum, 7 June 2013.
“Dead Body Show Promotes Health.” Fox News, 24 Oct. 2009.
Grant, Alexis. “Closing of Body Worlds Exhibit Draws Record Crowds.” Houston Chronicle, 4 Sept. 2006, chron.com.
Schecter, Anna. “France Shuts Down Popular Bodies Show.” Abc News, 23 Apr. 2009.
Vesna, Victoria, director. Medicine Pt 1. Youtube, 21 Apr. 2012.


Photo Evidence of Attendance

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Neuroscience and Art

Image
Artistic Depiction of Human Brain I think that the study of art and the brain is particularly interesting because the ideas and creativity that spur artists to design their work originates in some way, shape or form from their brains. Whether they are inspired externally or internally, the action of shaping their work occurs within their minds. Similarly, humans experience art through their brain after it is perceived by their senses (Tucker). Carl Jung On a physical level, every human has the same physical makeup roughly, of their brains. They have the same types of cells, the same types of neurotransmitters, etc. It is fascinating that these same components can produce such a wide array of artists, and people in general. John Brockman believed that despite all of the science and math defining these components, that “conscious involves noncomputable ingredients” (Brockman). How then does one characterize the brain? Another school of thought believed that the brain couldn
Read more

Bio Art

Image
Joe Davis With the discovery of DNA and subsequent ability to manipulate it, it has arisen as a potential medium for art. Some artists like Joe Davis (Vesna) have seized the opportunity and pioneered it as a new canvas on which to paint. As a medium this calls into question the ethics of using DNA as an art form as well the value of the medium (Elsevier). Joe Davis noted that he is likely the most successful publisher in history because the E.coli. This highlights a key feature of art being encoded in DNA in that it can be replicated very quickly and efficiently. Thus his Microvenus symbol is within the DNA of millions of cells of E.coli. Another feature of art being encoded as DNA is the permanence and capacity of the data stored within in it. Supposedly all of the world’s data could be stored in it (Extance). Microvenus There are ethical concerns about using DNA as well. One such example is if using it as an art medium could continue into genetically modifying o
Read more