Bodies…The Exhibition is a one of a kind exhibit showcasing the human body in a light that has never been done before. Bodies was shocking, impressive and definitely a learning experience. On our way to the exhibit Jyll and I discussed our expectation and how comfortable we were with seeing bodies that used to be alive. The anticipation was full of mixed feelings and humor as we examined the crowd and see who would make great specimens.
The exhibit was laid out really well starting with the basics in the first room. It discussed bone structure and showed the main bones in the body, femur, shoulder, knee, spine and the skull. I got to see what I have torn up in my knees from the skiing and jumping 
That was all cool but where was all the good stuff? So we hit the next room to see what we could find.
Entering the second room there was a host of bodies and this portion of the exhibit showed the main muscle structure of the body and the layering of the tissues. It was cool to see the inner workings of the muscles since I enjoy working out myself and how the muscle structure connects to tendons. One body was holding a rugby ball, another one holding hands with a skeleton and another was shooting a basketball.
These poses gave some life to the bodies which was kind of creepy.
The following displays outlined the nervous system (the coolest part of the exhibit), the brain and spinal cord (the grossest part of the exhibit). Here we found out how the eye balls where connected to the brain and the extensive of the nervous system. A brain had some eye balls attached to it as well as the entire nervous system. It was laid completely out and looked like a bunch of strings that would run through out the body.
Next was the blood vessels, arteries and heart. The blood vessels were all filled with a polymer silicone and the flesh was melted away leaving a perfect face, arm, leg and heart that only contained the blood vessels. It was weird to see a face and body completely out of blood vessels. The display room was very dim and the specimens were lit up brightly so they really stood out.
Then came the fat portion of the body. Here a women was used (don’t ask me why) and where the boobs and other business were totally visible. The body fat is layer completely over the muscle and it has a very noticeable texture that is far different from the rest of the human tissue. The reproductive organs were also included here. Didn’t care at all for this portion.
Since we went through reproductive organs the exhibit continued with a warning sign. Not being people that don’t take a good warning we ventured in. Here was the complete baby cycle along with some birth defects. It was kind of creepy to say the least because the thought of where the specimens came from gave you a sort of sick feeling in the stomach, literally.
After the baby section there was just one more left that had a body that sliced up as if it went through a meat slicer in the butcher section of the grocery store. By that time we both had enough of the Bodies and decided to head back home.
During our drive back home we continued to talk about what we seen, how it made us feel (both enlighten and creeped out) and level of detail that went into every display. It must have taken years to put it all together and I couldn’t even imagine to think of home many hours were put into it. After getting back home the exhibit kept coming in and out of our conversations so I guess it really made an impression.
All in all I am glad we went and got to see a once in a lifetime exhibit.
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