Saturday, November 19, 2005

Bodies


A new art exhibition opened at the South Street Seaport Thursday to some controversy. Art needs to be controversial in order to be, well, art, and this exhibition is no exception.

“Bodies” showcases human anatomy. Big deal, you say? Didn’t, like, Cro-Magnon cave painters do that 20,000 years ago? Well, this exhibition does it in a unique way -- by using real freaking dead bodies!

Eww!

Oh my God!

Okay, It’s not totally exploitative. Some people are taking their kids to see this so they can show them exactly what a liver looks like when you drink too much or what your lungs look like when you have lung cancer.

But, still.

Twenty-two full bodies and 260 organs were brought from China to create this exhibition. The organizers claim that the cadavers and organs are all from unclaimed or unidentified people, but it occurs to me that if they had said they used the bodies of Americans to create their displays, there would’ve been a HUGE public relations problem, right?

But posing dead Chinese men and women (babies too!) is okay.

WTF?

10 comments:

OldLady Of The Hills said...

How true, How True!!! LOL...I reasd about this exhibition, too, but I'm not sure I would want to go see it..yet...there is something fascinating about the idea of them being REAL dead bodies, isn't there??? Msybe I'm wrong about this!

Michele sent me tonight..And I'm happy to be here!

OldLady Of The Hills said...

OLO..It's me again, playing tag from Michele!!! This is a first for me...I mean, you again, one right after the other....But I love it! Don't you just adore the Meet & Greet of Michele's?

Still on the fence about seeing the dead bodies just like I was two minutes ago!

Le laquet said...

Ewww! I don't care if they're unclaimed ~ yuk! Who in their right mind let the exhibit into your country?

Hello from Michele!

Unknown said...

Oh, totally gross. And I don't even mind anatomy, but I'm not sure I'd want my dearly departed on display at a tourist attraction. Weird.

Michele sent me.

MaR said...

I have heard of this and find it absolutely gross. Lack of taste, etc. Here via Michele's!

Jean-Luc Picard said...

This is decidedly creepy. I gardly think it will be a top tourist attraction.

Michele sent me here,

Anonymous said...

ohhh yuck that is really weird!

Anonymous said...

A very interesting concept. Is the exhibition more for science or more for art? Are the posed as if in life situations? More than one body at a time or several bodies as if they were interacting with eachother?

utenzi said...

I read an article about the exhibition in Smithsonian a few years back. It's creepy and fascinating at the same time. It's been to the USA a few times, I think. It started up around 10 years ago--a German pathologist is the creator.

Michele sent me to see you--and the dead bodies--Michelle. BTW, did you see the picture of the guy on the horse? That's weird!

Michelle Pessoa said...

Wow, Cheryl, I stand corrected -- I never would've thought they could do an exhibit like this with Americans. Is the exhibit set up like the one here in New York? They have some of the Chinese cadavers posed playing football or dancing.

--

I sent the links to the afros to your Yahoo address.