Cadaver Exhibit to Visit Pittsburgh

[tony hipchest]

anyone gonna see this at the carnegie science center? well worth the $22 imo. appearantly it offends many people. ive been a big fan of this artworks originator since i saw it on Ripleys believe it or not:

The original cadaver show, Body Worlds, was the creation of German scientist Gunther van Hagens, who invented the plastination process in the 1970s. Body Worlds was first exhibited in the 1990s as "art" in Asia and Europe, where Dr. van Hagens raised hackles by signing the corpses and arranging them in provocative poses.

very cool stuff if youve never seen it and theres a picture in the ling (the article is very long)

http://postgazette.com/pg/07172/795948-115.stm

The bodies are coming, and with them some questions that will not go away.


Bodies ... The Exhibition
Cadavers in the exhibition are peeled of their skin and arranged in different poses.


"Bodies ... The Exhibition,' featuring 15 full-body human corpses from China that have been preserved by a process called "plastination," is scheduled to open at The Carnegie Science Center in October for a seven-month run.

The cadavers are peeled of their skin and arranged in poses -- kicking a soccer ball, setting up a tennis serve -- alongside 200 other body parts and specimens, including embryos and fetuses from 9 to 32 weeks gestation, all plasticized.

It is one of three major traveling exhibits that have been drawing huge crowds around the world. But along with the exhibits' popularity have come ethical and religious concerns.

None of the people who once inhabited the bodies in Bodies gave their consent to be used this way, and that has made some folks profoundly uneasy. Their doubts are compounded by China's record of human rights abuses, including the harvesting of transplant organs from executed prisoners.

One opponent is Elaine Catz, an 11-year employee of the science center who resigned over "Bodies'' last week.

"We don't know how these people died or why they died, and I don't think Premier knows, either," she said, referring to the company, Premier Exhibitions of Atlanta, that is presenting the show. "Before we put our stamp of approval on it, there should be a high burden of proof on Premier.''

Premier says the corpses were unidentified or unclaimed, that every attempt was made to locate relatives before the bodies were turned over to police and then, through proper legal channels, to Premier's Chinese partners at Dalian Medical University's dissection and plastination operation.

[Livinginthe past]

Looks like its one of those days where I misjudge the content of every story based on the title.

This one I thought would be about the Steleers v Browns home match-up this year......

[HometownGal]

As part of my medic training back in the 80's, I had to watch 5 autopsies and if I could get through that (I made it through the first 4), I could deal with seeing cadavers peeled of their skin, but if anyone has a free ticket to this exhibition, please - please feel free to give it to someone else.

[fansince'76]

I found a picture of one of the "celebrity cadavers" that will be included in the show:

[tony hipchest]

Originally Posted by HometownGal

As part of my medic training back in the 80's, I had to watch 5 autopsies and if I could get through that (I made it through the first 4), I could deal with seeing cadavers peeled of their skin, but if anyone has a free ticket to this exhibition, please - please feel free to give it to someone else.

i always wanted to be a mortician as a kid. part of of my pre med classes, we got to study from the 4 cadavers at UNM medical school for a whole semester. it was awsome. i can honestly say ive had my face 4 inches from an old dead ladies cooch, and loved every minute of it.

i was pretty disappointed to see i was gonna be in pittsburgh and miss this show by several month, (almost as disappointed as missing the grand opening of the new dinosaur hall at the museum).

however they were changing a bilboard by my office yesterday and i drove by it today. its a huge advertisement for this show coming to el paso! i will get to see it after all.

major wood!

oh, and fansince76, if they let richards anywhere near those cadavers he may snort them.