I could blame my recent bout with cancer for the reason, but I think I would have felt sad regardless. It didn’t bother me before that the bodies used in this exhibit were probably Chinese prisoners whose families had no choice in what to do with their remains, but the further I went into the tour the more it did bother me. I suppose it is showing disrespect to the dead to laugh when first eyeing a corpse, which is what I did when I spied the guy on the shoddy bike, but I couldn’t help it. He looked like a funny Halloween mask with his bulging eyes and huge Dumbo like ears. The exhibit is made out of several displays of corpses that are posed in different positions such as batting a baseball or throwing a tennis ball. They are situated as such to show the various muscles, bones, and nerves that make up the human body when conducting everyday activities. There are also smaller display cases where human organs are shown off individually…and yes, the uterus with cancer gave me pause.
There weren’t any women corpses until near the end and then they were primarily used to show reproductive organs. I think the one that showed a woman and her fetus disturbed me most. I felt like I was invading a very private space and knew in my heart that the woman probably would not have wanted to be displayed in such a way (further, I can only believe that she died tragically). The progression of the human embryo at different weeks was interesting along with the various multi-colored displays of blood vessels going through different organs. I can’t say I learned much besides the reiteration that I need less fat in my diet and should be thankful I’m not addicted to smoking.
Overall I wondered if the exhibit would be half as popular if the organs and body displays weren’t real. Many of the isolated organs and bones seemed coated with caramel candy although I know it was that plastic stuff the owners of the exhibit used to preserve them. To be honest I don’t think it would be, but at least I would not have felt as if I was invading the privacy of the dead. Afterwards, when exiting the gift shop (you know how all exhibits tend to do this) I didn’t have the urge, as I usually do, to purchase a refrigerator magnet. I know it is a tacky thing to do but I have quite the collection and when I travel they are cheaper than the t-shirts of which I used to spend too much money. I didn’t buy one for the simple reason that despite enjoying my time with a friend I didn’t really want to be reminded of the exhibit. Maybe it is just my frame of mind.
© 2008 Westerfield
Tags: Bodies Exhibit, Cancer, kansas city, The Dead
