PRESENT AN ART EXHIBIT
Description
Body Worlds is a traveling exposition of dissected human bodies, animals, and other
anatomical structures of the body that have been preserved. The two main founders of
this exhibit are; Dr. Angelina Whalley, the creative and conceptual designer, and Dr.
Gunther von Hagens, the pioneering anatomist that invented the advanced scientific
technique of preservation through Plastination.
Each BODY WORLDS exhibition contains real human specimens, including a series of
fascinating whole-body plastinates as well as individual organs, organ configurations,
blood vessels and transparent body slices. It provides wide-ranging insight into the
anatomy and physiology of the human body. In addition to organ functions, common
diseases are described in an easily understood manner by comparing healthy and
affected organs.
They show the long-term impact of diseases and addictions, such as tobacco or alcohol
consumption, and demonstrate the mechanics of artificial knee or hip joints. Individual
specimens are used to compare healthy and diseased organs, i.e., a healthy lung with
that of a smoker, to emphasize the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Life-like posed
whole-body plastinates illustrate the positions of these organs inside the human body.
According to the creators, the primary goal of the exhibition is preventive healthcare. It is
conceived to educate the public about the inner workings of the human body and to
show the effects of healthy and unhealthy lifestyles. Targeted mainly at a lay audience,
the exhibitions are aimed to inspire visitors to become aware of the fragility of their
bodies and to recognize the anatomical individual beauty inside each of us. The
exhibition intends to:
strengthen for one’s sense of health
show the potential and limits of the body
raise the question of the meaning of life.
Technique
The technique used for the contents of this anatomical art exhibition is plastination, a
process designed to preserve the body for educational and instructional purposes. It
includes; fixation & anatomical dissection, removal of body fat and water, forced
impregnation of cells, and specimen curing or hardening. These Plastinates are dry,
odorless, durable and are particularly valuable educational tools not only for medical
professionals but also for a broader public.
Controversies
A series of Body Worlds anatomical exhibitions has toured many countries worldwide,
sometimes raising controversies about the sourcing and display of actual human corpses
and body parts. Von Hagens maintains that all human specimens were obtained with full
knowledge and consent of the donors before they died, but this has not been
independently verified. In response, Von Hagens said that he has told his Chinese
employees not to accept bodies that were executed, and returned seven cadavers to
China that had head injuries, including at least two with bullet holes in the skull.
In 2002, two Russian doctors from the University of Novosibirsk were charged with
illegally supplying von Hagens with 56 bodies, including convicts, homeless people, and
mentally ill people, without consent from their relatives. Von Hagens said that none of the
body parts were used in the Body Worlds exhibitions.
"The Reclining Pregnant Woman" was one of the most controversial figures. This body is
suspected to be Zhang Weijie's, a news anchor of Dalian TV. She was the mistress of Bo
Xilaim, a former mayor of Dalian. After becoming pregnant, Zhang openly challenged
Bo’s wife, Gu Kailai. Gu is believed to have used China’s national and public security
forces to cause the disappearance of Zhang, while being an 8-month pregnant woman,
and any information or news videos about her. Zhang was then reportedly secretly
detained by security officials.
Von Hagens’s company was set up in Dalian because China has no laws banning the
processing and exporting of corpses. Consequently, all the bodies in Body Worlds are
Chinese, and are said to be from Dalian. And at the time, the person in charge of the
human specimen plastination factory in Dalian was Gu Kailai.
The skull shape and other features of the pregnant woman’s body at the Body World’s
exhibit is said to resemble those of Zhang. The nearly mature fetus, which is around 8
months old, inside the pregnant woman suggests the woman had been the victim of an
officially sanctioned execution.