Last week, Nikki and I were invited to the Body Worlds educational speaker's event. It was incredibly interesting. They had the most fascinating speakers, including Doctor Michael Mol. We were in an adjacent hall / room next to the exhibit and the educational elements presented was mind-blowing. Dr Mol told us that the average lifespan of a South African is 54. Can you believe that? You might know by now that the exhibit is international. That they use real, dead bodies in all the exhibitions. Not sure what I'm talking about?
The Body Worlds exhibitions are first-of-their-kind through which visitors learn about anatomy, physiology, and health by viewing real human bodies, using an extraordinary process called Plastination. A groundbreaking method for specimen preservation invented by Dr. von Hagens in 1977.
The exhibition features more than 200 real human specimens, including whole-body plastinates, individual organs, organ configurations and transparent body slices. The specimens on display stem from the body donation program that Gunther von Hagens established in 1983.
Plastination is the groundbreaking method of halting decomposition and preserving anatomical specimens for scientific and medical education. Plastination is the process of extracting all bodily fluids and soluble fat from specimens, replacing them through vacuum forced impregnation with reactive resins and elastomers, and then curing them with light, heat, or certain gases, which give the specimens rigidity and permanence.
Should you take your kids to see this? I would honestly take Noah, because he is just that sort of kid that is interested, eager and pretty hard core. I would not take Ben right now - not because he is younger, but because he is just a more sensitive / softer kid. It's just about knowing your child and what they would enjoy or understand. I do think that kids should see this exhibition. The sooner you understand your body and its future, the better. The exhibit could prevent him from smoking, alcohol abuse, obesity and general poor lifestyle choices. This exhibit could encourage him to grow in to a healthier adult some day. Above all, I know that this exhibit will instill a great respect for his own body, his organs, their functions and would create more awareness on how precious life is.
The international website has a section with free, printable family and student guides on the exhibition. Such a great resource. Find it here.
It's been over a week and I can't stop thinking about everything that I saw. In a good way. The intricacies and immaculate detail, how fragile we are. One speaker commented that a possible side effect of the experience is the realisation that we are all going to die. Sure, we know we will and life goes on and we take it one day at a time etc, but it is literally like staring death in the face. Not in a Grim Reeper sort of way. In a "I need to make good use of my life and body and opportunities" sort of way.
The exhibits I loved most was of our digestive system. A real one, mounted on the wall. Your biology teacher always tried to explain it to you and how long it was, but guys. It's amazing. I kept looking at the exhibits and touching my body and being like "HOW THE HECK DOES ALL THAT FIT IN HERE". It's so amazing. I felt guilty about every bad thing I'd ever done to my body. Every cigarette, student binge-drinking fest and every piece of junk food I'd ever eaten. Don't expect to walk out with a new life, it does tend to creep in slowly as you absorb everything that you saw.
There is a sex part, but it's cornered off in a way that your kids can miss it. I'm not going to tell Noah that they are real, dead bodies on display. I'll take him and say that they're copies. I know that he'll love it. Dr Mol took his five year old, and some of the doctors and lecturers I met had also taken their kids of a similar age and they loved it. I don't know if or even when this exhibition will come to South Africa again, so if you want to go, they've extended it to 10 March. All the details, prices etc are below. You can also hop on to their website, and I specifically love this page featuring interesting facts about our bodies.
Doors open at 09h00, last admission is at 19h30. Doors close 1.5 hours after last admission. Go to the Breakwater Parking Garage, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town (Next to Toy Kingdom)
Tickets can be purchased either from Webtickets or at the door. For the Webtickets option, the tickets are sold at 1 hr intervals to manage visitor flow.
Adults: R140.00, Concessions (Seniors 60+/ Students 18+) R110.00, Children (Ages 6-17) R90.00, Family Tickets (2 Adults & 2 Children) R400.00