we're made of meat; or, "all we are is dust in the wind, dude"

[hammercock]

Opting mainly for sloth today, Trowa and I slept way late, lazed around, and didn't do one productive thing all day until it was time to get ready to see the Body Worlds 2 exhibit at the Museum of Science at 6:45 p.m. I can see how some people might find this sort of thing offensive, disgusting, or disrespectful, but I found it fascinating, thought

Comments

[gdaniels]

Wild - April and I were there at the same time you were! We started at about 5:30, so I'm not terribly suprised I didn't see you, though it'd have been nice to say hi. We very much enjoyed it as well, although the crowds were a little much. "Humbling" is a great word for it. The "Drawer Man" and the fanned-out vertically sliced guy both really amazed me. Von Hagens' commentaries on the audio tour were pretty interesting too, mostly focusing on the various social/moral reactions to this kind of exhibition.

Happy New Year!

[hammercock]

Hey, happy new year!

Trowa got the audio tour, but I didn't because I wanted to sketch a bit and I couldn't do both at the same time. :-} Sounds like it was interesting, though!

[miss_chance]

For me, part of the show was fascinating, interesting, inspiring, etc., and part was disgusting and disrespectful and wrong. The line in my mind was crossed when he stopped looking at the bodies as human bodies and started turning them into toys. The whole bodies were fantastic, same with the slices, the organs, and O.M.G., the veins-only look at the ewe (if I recall correctly) all showed serious value in understanding the wonderousness of these living things.

The piece where he mimiced Salvador Dalí artwork (and, by the way, doesn't mention that's where the idea comes from), or where he splits the skier in half... these have less scientific value and are more about fucking around with these bodies because they are nothing more than a particularly intricate and detailed "found object" to play with. It pushed my "Silence of the Lambs" buttons. If he had made a coat out of the human skin, I would not have been sufficiently surprised

[hammercock]

I know what you mean. And yet, the body bequest form specifically asks, among other things, whether donors will agree to possibly have their bodies turned into artwork, so the idea clearly appeals to some people.

Reading the website, it does seem that he fancies himself a modern-day equivalent of da Vinci and other famous anatomists, breaking taboos to further science. Maybe he is, but maybe he is also a little bit overly in love with the idea of himself as a pioneer, y'know?