i saw this exhibit in london about a year ago. it was extremely interesting, but i didnt understand the guy's deal with making 'plastination' seem like a science. i'm sure it's a very technical process, but i think it was clear that this show was more about art for the prurient than science. i forget the specifics, but i kept remember all these plaques detailing the many uses plastination could be put to and thinking "that's useless, no one would do that"... just my two cents. still a great exhibit nonetheless.

-koji K.

[edit on 1-7-2004 by koji_K]

I wonder if people knew their bodies would be put on display in this fashion?

morbid indeed

Originally posted by EnronOutrunHomerun
I think these procedures of plastination, however, show just how close we can get to natural science...I'm surprised that forensic units in police departments have not jumped on this to allow extended examination of the bodies...

good point EOH, but if the process takes a considerable amout of time,
it would be impracticle to use it in a forensic application....maybe

I don't doubt it's benefits tho...

Originally posted by EnronOutrunHomerun
I think, of course, that the plastination links you've provided to the images are meant to be forms of art...Here's an age old question to ponder on this thread...Does life imitate art or does art imitate life?!?!

I tend to believe that life imitates art by far.

Then again it's how you define art.







[edit on 3-7-2004 by quadricle]

I think these are beautiful. What a wonderful way to have your body used once you kick the bucket! Where do I sign up? I want to be playing the violin, because I haven't got a clue how to now...lol.

And what great artful work!

as for the adipocere.

I was aware of this natural occurance from a docu I had seen a few months back....

very fascinating, again... nature is mysterious in it's ways...

When signing the donation form and the body donation identity card the body donor confirms that he/she agrees with the donation. A body donation for plastination purposes constitutes a declaration of will which may be revoked at any time

I'd assume it's governed under the same laws which allow the use of cadavers...

What a wonderful way to have your body used once you kick the bucket! Where do I sign up? I want to be playing the violin, because I haven't got a clue how to now...lol.

- "Hey mom, you know how it was so hard for all of us to let go to Uncle Bob and Aunt Cathi...so we got you a little present"

Wow, EOH, that picture is amazing. This is the first time of heard of adipocere.

Ya - I learned about it maybe about a year or so ago when I miserabley failed my class in Forensic Anthropology - I loved the subject matter tho...

One of the examples in our class was of an unintentional burial that was exposed by some pranskter kids - I don't remember why they were digging, obviosly not grave robbers - and they came across this dead guy in a civil war uniform and totally freaked out - the local cops made it out to be some crazy civil war buff who got ditched by some serial killer, except - duh - no marks of mutilation, except for a gunshot wound with and original civil war lead bullet - the state corner realized he really had something here and called in a forensic anthropologist - sure enough this guy was well over 100 years old and looked no more dead than 5 tops,that being at a very slow, slower than a snail, state of decay. I wish I had the pic, b/c it was incredible - talk about preserving history for the future

It would probablly be in the Smithsonian had they used these plastination techniques on his body once it was recovered

but if the process takes a considerable amout of time,
it would be impracticle to use it in a forensic application....maybe

Plus I doubt it's cheap!

I worked up an appetite reading this thread

Originally posted by EnronOutrunHomerun
This this little girl died in 1902, and her casket was reopened, for some reason or another, in 1995.

I took a peek at the site where u got this pic. I don't think she had 'good embalmers' however She appears to be too natural... maybe she's a little 'saint'.

There is (among Catholics) a number of 'saints' whose bodies have been exhumed and found to be 'incorrupt'. Hence, they are called 'The Incorruptables'. I found this to be so fascinating (I'm not Catholic) that I found a book by that same title and it is filled with image after image of these 'saints' that look almost as fresh and dewy as when they were alive!

In fact, St. Bernadette (who had visions of Virgin Mary and is the little shepard girl who was directed to dig in the ground which released the spring water in Lourdes where many continue to go today to be healed by it) is incorrupt and her body is on view in a glass casket. When exhumed only the string holding her rosary beads together had disintergrated and I think they coated her body with a thin layer of wax to perserve its moisture content [no, it is not a wax model]). Pretty fascinating...

And this thread is as well! I'd never heard of this technique and it's most interesting to see the images. Wish I could have seen that art show

[edit on 3-7-2004 by Cattlespy]

Wow I think those are cool, better than having your body rot inside of box buried 6ft underground eh?

Okay, there's only one thing I definitely want to point out here....

nobody's convincing me that horse said this was okay.

His work is classed as art many people are really against his work ive seen this a few years back a "new way" to shock people like damian hurts and his cows.

Originally posted by Valhall
Okay, there's only one thing I definitely want to point out here....

nobody's convincing me that horse said this was okay.

I don't follow what you mean Valhall - horse?
Ooohh - Are you referring to the one in that picture...lol
PETA could have fun with this topic...

I think this is pretty awesome. I would love to see this exibit if it came to my area.

DaVinci used to visit morgues to view the anatomy first hand. Artists today aren't given that opportunity- to just walk in a morgue. If so, people would think they were some sort of freak and have them arrested.

Adipocere is a process which happens on it's own.

The process Bodyworld uses is artificial, as was the process used by the ancient Egyptians.

Funny how you can catch a show on the Discovery channel on the burial practices of the ancient Egyptians and yet some people refer to Bodyworld's exhibits as sick, demented and gross.

The whole job of an undertaker is to present the body of the deceased, to family and loved ones, to as close to the real life "image" of the person as possible.

The more disfigured the subject, the more of a challange to the undertaker. An artisitc hand is definitely required in this field.