Does this happen to you… you hear about something that, on the surface, can be considered controversial and you have that instant strong negative reaction to it but then some time passes and you become more informed about the situation that your opinion of the matter changes completely? That was basically my thought process when I heard about the Body Worlds Vital exhibition debuting in Auckland today.
Body Worlds Vital is a travelling exhibition that features real human bodies that have been preserved through plastination, a technique where body fluids and fat are replaced with plastics.
When I first heard about the exhibition, I was critical. I thought it was disrespectful to have real human remains on display for people to gawk at… I thought it was trying to be shocking for the sake of being shocking… But then I learned more about the show and afterwards my opinion changed.
I learned that the human bodies and body parts on display are donated. Knowing this absolutely made me more accepting of the show. I learned that the show focuses on common diseases and aims to make people aware of how we can keep our bodies healthy. Again, this made the show more accepting to me because I really believe that seeing the human remains close up will have an impact on people and how they take care of their bodies. You’d have to be totally heartless not to have any feelings, whether light or profound, as you see a human corpse right in front of you.
Even though I have a better appreciation for the show, I think I would still feel slightly uneasy, and sad, as I see the bodies on display. But I don’t consider that a bad thing, I think that is a normal feeling to have given the circumstances. I mean you are seeing people that have passed away. But if it makes a difference in people’s lives then at least something good is coming out of it.
Body Worlds Vital is held at Hilton Auckland in Princes Wharf and runs from April 23 to July 13. Tickets cost $15-$28.
