A Grand Day Out
Jennifer, Dani and I went to see the Body Worlds 2 exhibit at the San Jose Tech Museum today. It was every bit as fascinating as we’d hoped, probably a bit more. I’d read about the plastination process prior to our visit, but was still amazed to see how perfect yet imperfect the preservation and presentation was. Also surprising (to me) was the strict way that the displays were referred to as "plastinates" rather than "people," "donors," or "bodies." A few of the many highlights from the show:
- A display where the muscles were removed from and standing next to the skeleton of one donor. The plastination process makes the muscles firm enough to stand on their own.
- The fact that the kneecaps were always with the muscles, never with the skeletons (they’re seriously embedded in the tendons and ligaments of the legs).
- An entire room devoted to embryo and fetal development, including a plastinate opened to reveal an embryo (as well as the black lung from smoking that, apparently, killed the pregnant donor).
- Embryos and fetuses at just about every stage of development
- The Exploded Man, which was a plastinate completely separated (individual organs, systems, etc.) and suspended and expanded to take up twice the normal space of a body.
- The various penises and vaginas (the latter both shaved and natural – don’t ask why I notice these things) on the plastinates. Jenni, in a moment of humor, covered Dani’s eyes (the girl’s 6 months old – I don’t think I was warping her mind, dear).
- Incredibly thin slices of plastinates that made cross-sections (an entire body was shown in this way).
- And, in the center room, the brain itself. Healthy brains, brains that had suffered from strokes and had blackened marks on them, and a brain ravaged by Alzheimer’s.
It was a truly stunning experience. I would recommend that you go, but if you live in the Bay Area you might be out of luck as it’s closing at the Tech on January 26th. If it comes to your city, take the time to attend.
Also would like it noted that Jenni and I are really pushing the boundaries of new parenthood. I carried Dani around in a front-carrier the entire show, and she was a perfect angel. She’s such a flirt, she definitely made a few friends and garnered more than her share of smiles. Cheers to a fun day out and a grand adventure in having a baby and enjoying the world.
Quick shoutout – for the second time in as many weeks I ran into Geoff Ralston. He was there with his son to attend the show, guess they were just leaving as we walked in. Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as we did!
Photo courtesy of Body Worlds
