Body World v. Bodies: the exhibition

The first time I heard about the work of Dr. von Hagen on plastination in 1997 I wanted to go and see them. However, it wasn't until in 2000 I went to Körperwelten (Body Worlds) exhibition in Oberhausen, Germany. We had to queue for hours in the cold winter day but all was worth it. It was simply amazing. Coming out of the exhibition made me thing about my own body and the possibility to donate it one day. Maybe you've seen a glimpse of Body Worlds exhibition while watching the new James Bond's Casino Royale.

Last year I found out that Bodies: the Exhibition is coming to Amsterdam. From what I heard Premier Exhibitions Incorporated, the American company behind it, works together with former partner of von Hagen and rumor has it they use bodies from political prisoners/unclaimed bodies in China. If it is true it might be a violation of human rights & Chinese law. Of course the PR people maintained that they acquired those bodies legally from Dalian University.

Anyway, since my father was here last March, we went to see Bodies: the Exhibition in Amsterdam. Yes, it seems morbid & weird bringing your father to see dead people. Its something that my father and I shared, those dead people are our teachers. He told me to respect those cadavers, and not to be afraid of them before I had my share of experience with them at school. My father found it amazing and especially liked how they show the blood circulation without the body itself. He even put comment on their guestbook & still talked about it several days later.

But I can't help comparing both exhibitions.

Aside from ethical issues, Bodies: the Exhibition exhibits fewer whole bodies & organs than Body Worlds. Their fetuses' exhibition is limited to embryos & normal fetuses in various stages of development. They don't have congenital disorders fetuses. If you've taken into account the number of specimens you can see and the price you pay for a visit, Bodies: the Exhibition is more pricy. For €20 plus fee a ticket, they didn't even give you any booklet as a guide; you have to rent an audio tour. I remember I paid DM 16 (about €7) to Body Worlds and got a 100 pages booklet about their exhibition. I know, it was 7 years ago, but I've checked their site and it costs about US$20 (about €16) for a visit at this moment.

I found the specimens in Body Worlds were done in more esthetic manner, and in more care. Their poses are more artistic, some specimens will remind you of certain famous art works like Dali's Woman with Drawers. I noticed while observing the nerves on the whole body specimen, the nerve endings sometimes stray in Bodies: the Exhibition. I also noticed, that the color of the muscles is more bland, than the one of von Hagen's. That being said, it is still much better looking than on bodies drench with formalin, the ones we use at medical school. Not to mention the lack of the smell of formalin in both exhibitions.

At Body Worlds you learn more about various medical conditions, you'll see how your liver looks like if you had cirrhosis which makes you think about heavy drinkers and hepatitis B & C patients, how pollution & smoking affecting your lung, the look of tumor in various places in your body, how congenital disorders looks like, and pregnancy.

Last but not least, observing both exhibitions I learnt that the myth about European v. Chinese is true. I am not being racist here, just stating the fact. You might have noticed it yourself from the picture. ;)

All and all, I prefer von Hagen's exhibition above Bodies: the Exhibition.