1 post tagged “bodies the exhibition”

Bodies...The Exhibition.  I would recommend going but it’s definitely NOT for the faint of heart.  It’ll give you a case of the heebee-jeebies seeing bodies crafted and positioned in a way that almost gives life to the dead.  The exhibit was in Atlanta until Sept 12th and I knew what I was going to see . . . and it was creepy for a few minutes.  But the more I looked, the more I was fascinated.  I couldn't think about the controversy, since I wanted to appreciate the complexity of the human body as a machine and see what makes us all alike. At least that’s what I told myself.

There were nine rooms and each gave you a look into what we’re “normally” made up of—tissue, nerves, arteries, veins, bones, muscles and so on.  We saw the effects of disease and cancer on organs like the lung, stomach, thyroid and liver. A lot of the lungs we saw were tarred from smoking and reminded me of a filter from an A/C unit packed with black dust.  It made me think about why we make the choices that we do when it comes to our health--be it social pressures or economic hardships. Another room about the reproductive system made a few stomachs turn. I saw a lady sitting on a bench trying to catch her breath as her daughter asked if she was okay.  Then I realized why after I looked into one of the display cases and saw fetuses.  

I left with a visual understanding that our bodies are what make us the same.  We function because of an intricate and balanced series of systems.  Nerves telling muscles to contract causing bones to move.  Nerves telling muscles to contract causing the heart to beat.  We live because of our bodies.

When I asked my brother what he thought about the exhibition he said, "It was interesting.  Disturbing.  But interesting.”  Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.  

[edit]

In light of recent news, I feel terrible for brushing aside the controversy surrounding this exhibit.