I ordered the catalog anyway. I studied the wild forms in the photographs. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing – men and women, stripped of their skin and fatty tissue, in “action” poses, as if they were still alive. While I was interested, I was not convinced that I could see the exhibit in person. Ever.
According to Gunther von Hagen’s Body Worlds website, the exhibition goal is primarily to “educate.”
“…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 life-style… 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” (Institute 2007)
After polling some colleagues in the field recently, I learned very quickly that it has become a phenomenon in the industry. Museum professionals often use words like “risk” and “shocking” and “extraordinary” to describe this exhibit. I received several recommendations to study Body Worlds for my research project. So, about two months ago, I conned some friends into driving to Milwaukee to see it with me.
It was a rainy day in Milwaukee. So, we were chilled to the bone before we ever stepped foot inside the gallery. Two of us had seen Body Worlds 2 prior to this visit. The rest were unaware, apprehensive, and/or curious about what lay ahead. It was a perfect storm for experiencing this exhibit, if you ask me.
The exhibit space was created by the use of pipe and drape. Black walls, black ceilings, dark graphics, dramatic lighting, and poorly executed artifact arrangement. It was a rat maze. The first room looked like it could have been in one of those tiny museums of medical instruments you find crammed into the upstairs of an old building in Europe. It was boring – a line of cases with body parts and one or two basic plastinated figures.
But, in the next room, I began to hear the “oohs” and “aaahs.” Fingers pointed and kids stared at three body forms - a basketball player, a weightlifter walking out of his skin, and a smoker. In the following rooms, figures began to take on more dramatic poses. Three that stand out in my mind are The Phoenix, The Flayed Man, and Horse and Rider. The Flayed Man was disturbing. When I saw this, I really felt that von Hagens’ educational purpose was lost on his new found art hobby – human body sculptures. In fact, in my opinion, if it wasn’t for people simply taking the time to engage in discussions about what they saw, I find it hard to believe that anyone could walk away with new knowledge or understanding of their bodies.
After surveying my friends, I learned that they had a similar experience to mine. Some noted that the visitor path appeared to be a “slow-moving river formation.” Others commented on the lighting – that it “created an illusion of life-like but not real” and was “dramatic.” Some noted that they couldn’t help but watch other visitors – how it was not apparent that they were interested in the anatomy as much as the display of the anatomy.
The exhibit creators say that over 25 million people have seen their exhibits worldwide. A variety of quotes from celebrities on the exhibition website proclaim that the exhibit is “extraordinary” and serves as a reminder to not take your body for granted.
A quick read through the visitor log at the end of the exhibition tells you that others, too, experienced some sort of self-actualization and renewed interest in caring for their bodies.
I feel that Body Worlds did not successfully impart knowledge. (What decade of the museum world is this, anyway? People aren’t empty basins waiting to be filled with anyone’s superior knowledge or expertise.) However, the exhibit DID cause conversation.
Which leads me to my point: Perhaps the appropriate way to use spectacle is to use design elements to “inspire” visitors to think, react and converse.
To me, the bodies inspired conversation that resulted in learning – like a sculpture at an art museum – where visitors turned it into the experience they wanted it to be. THAT’S what museum exhibits are all about.
Body Worlds may dance a fine line between freak show and tastefully dramatic exhibit design… but it sure caused some people to think.
References:
Institute for Plastination (2007). Gunther von Hagen’s Body Worlds: The Original Exhibition of Real Human Bodies. http://www.bodyworlds.com/en.html. Accessed June 2008.
(As a side note, I would like to point out that “plastination” and any derivative are not yet found in the dictionary.)
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