Your Body World is a Wonderland

Kelley and I scooped up tickets and attended the last day of the much-lauded traveling science exhibition Body Worlds at the Dallas Science Place in Fair Park. We went on the morning of Memorial Day (yesterday, thus, no blog posting). It's funny how most of the city had the same idea. We were glad to get in early because when we finally finished walking through, you would've thought Star Wars VII was opening by the look of the line of people waiting to get in. Okay, it wasn't that bad. It was more likely a logistics issue: the museum only had 150 "audio tour guide" devices available at one time so, if you wanted the "tour," you had to wait until someone finished using it. Couple that fact with the whole thing being self-paced, no time-limit touring and you got yourself some long lines.

Like I said, we were in by 9:15 and out a couple of hours later.

So, how was it? In a word: fascinating. In two words: fascinating and eerie.

For those that have been living under a rock in Dallas or live in an area that hasn't had the exhibit come through town yet, this is a Science Fair Project like nothing you've ever seen. A German named Gunther von Hagens found a way to inject liquid plastic into organs, veins, muscle, etc. and get it to maintain its shape permanently. Basically, it's like walking into a morgue-gone-nuts, where cadavers are split open in various ways and posed doing activities like playing chess, teaching at the chalkboard, and riding skinless horses whilst holding brains. Yeah...kinda crazy. But, fun and educational. Read all about it on the Body Worlds website.

Kelley's big complaint was that, after a while, you feel like you're just looking at the same thing over and over again. While the human body does seem a little monotonous--after all, we're only muscle, bones, blood, and tissue--it was arranged in compelling and artistic ways that, I thought kept it fresh and interesting. And, therein, lay the question of the hour. Is this a science exhibit? Or an art exhibit? Or both?

Of course, it's both. von Hagens said he was trying to capture the spirit of the Renaissance anatomist. The goal in all of this?

...the exhibitions are targeted mainly at a lay audience to open up the opportunity to better understand the human body and its functions. The exhibits help the visitors to once again become aware of the naturalness of their bodies and to recognize the individuality and anatomical beauty inside of them.

And, indeed, it accomplishes that. One of the key insights for me was just how fragile the body seems to be. In seeing just want an incredible biological machine we humans are, I consider it a miracle of nature (or God) that we are so resilient to disease and exterior threats. It is quite a wonderful exhibit and I hope you get a chance to catch it in Portland, OR, St. Louis, or Phoenix in '07.