We went to 'Bodies' today at the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa. Click on the link to see some of what we saw. My daughter saw more penises than I hope she will ever see again in a lifetime, but it was very informative. She wants to become a doctor, and had been begging to see it for weeks. I wanted to wait until the crowds lessened somewhat.
For those of you unfamiliar with it, this exhibit is of plastic-permeated corpses, skinned and dissected and displayed so that you can see the entire human anatomy in various forms.
It was very impressive and somewhat eerie. I heard many people say it was marvellous but I have a famous scientist in the family and grew up seeing much that was similar. Despite the fact that I was steeped in Human Anatomy & Physiology, I was still impressed. I was also shocked that if I'd wanted to, I could've reached out and touched the corpses on display. They were very accessible. That actually gave it more impact than it would've had otherwise.
If you live in the area, I highly recommend you see it. If it's coming to a town near you, it's worth the travel.
P.S. You can even donate your body if you're so inclined to have your nude, flayed body on display for the rest of eternity.
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20 comments:
Saur,
I'm staying away from this exhibit. I cry at every funeral that I attend. I am curious though, when I was young and dumber I got my share of tatoos. Is there skin still on these bodies?
Awesome!
mmmmmm,,,think I can pass on that kind of immortality *S*
Sounds like a really interesting exhibit. I'd never make the world look at my big ol' carcass! That would be cruel.
Saur, I am having mixed emotions about this exhibit. What do you think about a 10 year old?
I've seen several incarnations of it in several places and have always been marvelled by it. The neatest one was the animals one that I saw in Europe once. Horses and monkeys and cats and the like. It was pretty damn cool and I would have to agree that it is definately worth the price of admission. I was most impressed by the way the bodies were posed in real life situations. It was quite fine artistry and yes, a little morbid, but it's uniqueness is what makes it so interesting.
Until later...
Awesome and eerie!!
I just heard, on the news, that Tampa, a beautiful and overbuilt city, may be at risk of future hurricanes.
Stay safe!
Barbara, yeah, it's something that we've been looking at for many years. I've lived through too many hurricanes to count, and when I was 12 I was awakened by my parents to help bail out the living room. There were many times that we were without power for days but things were simpler then and it wasn't as big a deal as it seems now. The ones that are the most nervous about it are the northerners. The rest of us are used to the concept. The good news is that we're not below sea level like LA, but we can get the same damage as anyone else can.
Jeff, funny you should say that. The Other Half asked later if there were people with dogs on leashes, etc. It would've been a GREAT idea. I don't know why they didn't do that in this exhibit.
Kathleen, it depends on the 10 year old. My daughter's 10 but is amazingly balanced and mature for her age. My son, who's 12, might or might not be ready for the exhibit. If he goes, he's going with his dad. I think it's less threatening when you're staring at human sex organs up-close-and-personal. My daughter got to learn that penises come in all sizes, and aren't dependant on the size of the man. Most girls are a little young to learn that, perhaps, but she handled it with great calm and very matter-of-factly.
AP3 *LOL* I know. But if your skin is gone, it probably won't matter much anyway. We all look basically the same underneath, apparently.
Mallory, yeah... I think I'd prefer an old fashioned burial. But who knows? Maybe I'll change my mind some day.
Mr. Gator, skin sometimes does remain on the corpses, but if it's there it's been left deliberately. There was one absolutely stunning tatoo that was removed from a corpse and preserved separately. It was truly a work of art. However, it reminded me uncomfortably of the Nazis and how they used human skin for upholstery and lampshades. Perhaps that was just me, and wouldn't occur to the average person (my dad is a WWII buff).
Michelle, oh yeah!
Pretty wild!
R2000
Alex, if you're genuine and not a spammer, you need to know that you have spyware attached to your website.
Are you bargin shopping this Saturday?
Michelle, probably not, after all. Ozma called and reminded me that it's her birthday and with her family, birthday celebrations go on for weeks. The partying starts Friday night and Saturday night and then the family's throwing a surprise party for her next weekend. I think I'm going to collapse.
6 or 7 years ago I would have been all over that kind of B-day celebration. But now the thought makes me tired. Good Luck, Have Fun!
I think it sounds really cool. I'd love to see it. Don't think I'd take my four year old but I'd definitley drag the hubby along. I heard there was some controversy surrounding the display...Something about them not being able to verify that all of the bodies were obtained through legal sources? Have you heard anything about that?
ha ha...You called me funny.
Thanks.
Added you to my blog roll today!
oh, some of those bodies were gross! Not something you want to see while eating spaghetti or a funnel cake!
I already saw it - it was great! We're taking students there for a field trip, so I get to go again. Hehe!
Godlessmom, well, it was just people in the gov't. trying to find a validation for their jobs. The exhibit has been going on for many years, throughout Europe. The bodies used were unclaimed and/or donated. Our gov't. just wanted all sorts of documentation about this well-established fact.
Jeff, *LOL* I want to see a comedy clip. Can you get one up on your blog?
Eddo, That's funny! My family was a very scientific one so we'd discuss gross stuff like diseases and dissections and the latest medical discoveries over the dinner table. If my boyfriends couldn't handle it, they didn't last long. I didn't catch on for a long time, and remember looking at a boy one evening and wondering why he was turning green (my mom was a good cook, so it wasn't the cooking!). I figured out later it was the discussion.
Fred, fun! It's a good learning tool. Of course, you have highschoolers so you'll hear more than you want to about the genitalia on display. ;o)
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