Next weekend my sister and I are planning a trip down to Salt Lake City to visit some of her friends and go to the Body Worlds exhibit at The Leonardo. More info on the exhibit here.Though the trip was originally my idea, I find that I have mixed feelings about going to the exhibit. On one hand, I am afraid that it will turn out to be something along the lines of a freak show, Ripley's Believe it or Not, or a Wax Works museum - a "lets go gawk at the bodies!" event. Perhaps it is the use of the word exhibit. It seems to make it feel a bit commercialized and in an odd way, de-humanized.
But on the other hand it also looks like it could be an amazing opportunity to learn more about the human body, to gain a deeper appreciation for the delicate workings that compose each one of us. There is so much that I don't understand, though I am always trying to learn more, and as I am working in a Medical Terminology class this semester, this could be invaluable. I have such a deep and profound respect for the human body and want to gain a better understanding of the miracle that is us.
My only other concern is that perhaps I might get sick. Silly, I know. In spite of my fascination with all things scientific, biological and anatomical, I am a bit squeamish. Yes, I realize that it is sad, and pathetic. I even got sick interpreting a lecture in Health last year (thank heavens I had an intern there who could take over while I got some fresh air!). I find that so long as I can de-personalize and disassociate with what is going on, I am fine, but once things become personal... I am in trouble. That is where I think I will have trouble, walking the fine line between disassociating myself from the exhibit enough to avoid getting sick, and yet still honoring and respecting the people who donated their bodies, recognizing the inherent humanity in what I am viewing.
Have any of you been to see it? What were your impressions? Is it science and education? Or is it commercialization? If any of you are planning to be in Salt Lake next Saturday, you are certainly welcome to join us and find out with us!
We saw the exhibit in Denver a few years ago and LOVED it. It was totally crowded (which was a bummer...) but it was amazing how respectful--reverent, even!--everyone was. (If it's not always that way, that's very disappointing.) I was totally in awe of what the human body can do. I talked to a young man who was so inspired by it that it helped him change (right away!) some bad habits he had been trying so hard to quit, and really strengthened his testimony--he said he felt God speaking to him throughout the exhibit. It has potential to be great! I hope it is for you--that nobody accidentally screwed it up! We loved it so much that when my parents came for Seth's birth, we made sure they went--my mom braved the crowd (something she DOESN'T do) and was so inspired by the exhibit that she ended up not even caring about the claustrophobia. Hehe. I WILL say that the one thing I thought people appeared to be gawking at was...ME! Ha ha! I don't recommend going to an exhibit on the human body when you're noticeably pregnant! Hehe. I felt like EVERYONE was looking at me--and with much more interest than ever before! It was odd. (Also, they have an exhibit behind curtains--so people can avoid it if they want--of a woman who died while pregnant and also of fetuses in various stages of development. I can't recommend enough that people see it. It tugs at your heart-strings [even if you're not pregnant, like I was...hehe], but it's also incredibly beautiful and moving.)
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