Ultra-Popular "Body Worlds" Exhibit Coming to Ontario Science Centre in Fall!

[biosh]

The Ontario Science Centre announced yesterday (http://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/calendar/bodyworlds2/default.asp) that the popular "Body Worlds" exhibit would be opening September 30th!

The popular and controversial show features real human cadavers that have been stripped of their skin and "plastinated", and then displayed in action poses such as a skateboarder or figure skater - aloowing the viewer to see organs, nerves, muscles and ligaments in action.

I can't wait...

:)

[SergesPlace]

Great!! Gunther von Hagens work is unbelievable, i can't wait to see it.

[Moberator]

Been to the one in Hong Kong.

Holding the brain was cool, so were the foetuses. :)

[sankou]

nice, i think it was shown in toronto a couple of years ago at the power plant art gallery, but i missed it.

it's interesting that they're showing it at the "science" centre, since there is still a debate about whether this is "art" or medical science.

[biosh]

Here's a sample image from the show:

http://www.gayot.com/images/travel/los%20angeles/events/bodyworlds_family.jpg

[SergesPlace]

Here's a sample image from the show:

http://bodyworlds2.glsc.org/graphics/home/main.gif
There ya go ;)

[biosh]

Checked out the show yesterday - it is pretty darn cool - you're not likely to see a much more "lively" display of anatomy anytime soon! The opportunity to see inside our bodies gave me a concrete sense of just how much part of the animal kingdom we are. The poses of the bodies are very dynamic and interesting, and the whole exhibit is well designed, making use of the Science Centre's space very effectively. I highly recommend checking this show out, don't be put off by the high ticket price, you won't soon forget this one...

[ferkel]

Checked out the show yesterday - it is pretty darn cool - you're not likely to see a much more "lively" display of anatomy anytime soon! The opportunity to see inside our bodies gave me a concrete sense of just how much part of the animal kingdom we are. The poses of the bodies are very dynamic and interesting, and the whole exhibit is well designed, making use of the Science Centre's space very effectively. I highly recommend checking this show out, don't be put off by the high ticket price, you won't soon forget this one...

was it busy?

[biosh]

was it busy?
Nope, though we picked the start of the two religious holidays on purpose...

[IceMan77]

Went and saw it over the weekend too. Tickets were like $20 and parking was $8!!! The smell was horrible, but it was cool to see the muscles in real life. I thought it was fake at first. Wow plastination has come a long way.

[bluetroll]

omg.... how long will the exhibit be at the OSC?

[NDman]

I'll be checking this one out for sure. I'll probably wait a little bit until the frenzy has died down a little bit first. PLenty of time left, but definitely interested

[espeed]

Will the 2for1 Science Centre Admission work for this?

[biosh]

Will the 2for1 Science Centre Admission work for this?
Nope - I think they paid out a bundle to even get this show to Toronto - so they're pretty sticky about the admission frates...

[Bordello]

There was a series on the BBC hosted by Gunther called "Anatomy for Beginners". They do dissections of the cadavers right on the show. It's pretty interesting, and accurate - sort of what you'd learn in med school. It's available on several bt sites (PM me if you can't find it).

There is frontal nudity on the show (live models), so adult only, or curious children, whatever.

[KennethToronto]

wow, very cool :)

Why couldn't they have something like this when I was working there? :D

[sPiKyAZN]

I think this is here till febuary...can anyone confirm? If so I won't go till christmas break..

[JimG]

There was a series on the BBC hosted by Gunther called "Anatomy for Beginners". They do dissections of the cadavers right on the show. It's pretty interesting, and accurate - sort of what you'd learn in med school. It's available on several bt sites (PM me if you can't find it).

There is frontal nudity on the show (live models), so adult only, or curious children, whatever.

Very interesting show, but I swear they tried to find to the creepiest doctor to do the dissections.

[rai_dei]

I think this is here till febuary...can anyone confirm? If so I won't go till christmas break..
Yup till Feb 26th
Might go check it out once exams start and everyone's busy studying :D

[cheukiecfu]

looks very cool
went to Science North this summer @ sudbury...
they had 2 pig lung shown.. one smoked... one doesn't... u can try air pumping into each one and see how different they are...
so disgusting though..

[Emancipated]

Very interesting show, but I swear they tried to find to the creepiest doctor to do the dissections.

Haha, he is pretty creepy. I was a little surprised how well I handled watching it. Didn't feel as though my lunch was retreating back up.

I wonder if Peter Lorey himsefl will be at the exhibition :twisted:

[biosh]

looks very cool
went to Science North this summer @ sudbury...
they had 2 pig lung shown.. one smoked... one doesn't... u can try air pumping into each one and see how different they are...
so disgusting though..
Yow! Talk about your animal abuse!

:(

[YLSF]

I am suprised there isn't more talk about this...


How many people have been to see it? From what I have heard it is worth the ticket prices ($25 during the day but that includes ontario science center general exhibits or $20 in the evening without general OSC access)

[Blunt]

Funny thing.. I'm planning to go this saturday.
I was holding out for a deal or something, but then I guess I just have to pluck down the whole $25!!
:lol:

[Ducky]

i went during xmas break...

it was ok...but not worth the $25 in my view...

it was packed in late december...

no discounts out there...

[FuNPoLiCe001]

25 bucks? damn...does that include an Imax movie?

[AirBosh]

Funny thing.. I'm planning to go this saturday.
I was holding out for a deal or something, but then I guess I just have to pluck down the whole $25!!
:lol:

I lined up last sat on don mills rd just trying to get into the parking lot. I drove off after waiting 20mins.

[ferkel]

Funny thing.. I'm planning to go this saturday.
I was holding out for a deal or something, but then I guess I just have to pluck down the whole $25!!
:lol:

even if you want to pay the $25, you'll have to wait a few hours to get in since its a timed event entrance..

[aquariaguy]

OMG it's that busy?

I wanted to go one Saturday. How long did you guys stay for? Is this just one big room where they have the exhibit? I don't want to go and its like a 1 hr long exhibit. Boo

[DJ_Peanuts22]

wow.. people still visit the science centre?

[biosh]

OMG it's that busy?

I wanted to go one Saturday. How long did you guys stay for? Is this just one big room where they have the exhibit? I don't want to go and its like a 1 hr long exhibit. Boo
The entry is only timed by when you enter - you book a particular time and show up then. You can take as much time as you want to walk through the exhibit - we took a couple of hours...

[biosh]

wow.. people still visit the science centre?
They're three quarters of the way through completely updating the place - it's pretty entertaining these days - I got to ride their Segway last weekend...

:)

[aquariaguy]

The entry is only timed by when you enter - you book a particular time and show up then. You can take as much time as you want to walk through the exhibit - we took a couple of hours...

So its actually quite big? Not like the ROM's, where its just like one big room and kinda cheesy. Alright hoefully it'll be interesting. Maybe i'll bring my Anatomy book and look like a big nerd.

Are cameras allowed?

[UrbanPoet]

just looked it up... and apparently the person who invented 'plastination' is the son of a nazi SS soldier. Not that that has to do with anythng

[Anessa]

Maybe the creator had some secrets passed down by Mengele :(

[wiggy]

I took my young lad down to see the show last week and it was quite fascinating (and just a touch creepy). The guy put together some interesting views of the human body. Kind of amazing what he can do with his technique. The poses of various bodies engaged in sports activities are well done, the pregnant lady is sad but impressive, the slices of fat guy vs. skinny guy should scare you thin. The orthotic guy, full of artificial parts is a neat demonstration of med tech.

If you want to save yourself some hassle, order your tickets online and avoid the queue at the Centre  just make sure you show up at your appointed time.

We went the last day of the Christmas break, so it was a bit busier than I expected, but still bearable. Evening tickets are cheaper and the place a bit less crowded. The event was a little expensive, I thought, but then its not the kind of thing you get to see everyday.

[Anessa]

Hey Wiggy...how was parking during the day? Lineups on Don Mills Ave or what?

[wiggy]

just looked it up... and apparently the person who invented 'plastination' is the son of a nazi SS soldier. Not that that has to do with anythng

Instead of an unsubstantiated shot, it might be better to provide some relevant background material to folks.

http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/pages/Pressemeldungen_allgemein.asp

[biosh]

So its actually quite big? Not like the ROM's, where its just like one big room and kinda cheesy. Alright hoefully it'll be interesting. Maybe i'll bring my Anatomy book and look like a big nerd.

Are cameras allowed?
If you're familiar with the Science Centre - the exhibit actually starts on the first bridge, with cool lighting and display cases all along - then you come out onto the balcony of the Great Hall, with several specimens creatively posed to make use of the space, and finally the whole gGreat Hall downstairs is filled with many more "folks".

As to whether it's interesting or not - it really is just a big anatomy display - just a really cool one! I went with a family group from a grandmother 75 years old to kids as young as 7 - we all enjoyed it.

As for cameras - no idea...

[wiggy]

Hey Wiggy...how was parking during the day? Lineups on Don Mills Ave or what?

We got there around 11 a.m. and they sent us up to the north overflow parking lot straight away. It was about 1/3 full at that time. When we left at about 1:30 p.m. the lots were full and a cop was managing traffic entering the grounds from Don Mills, letting in cars only as others were leaving.

We spent about 45 minutes waiting in a couple of lines - one to buy tickets, the other to get to the exhibit hall from the ticket check area. Buy your tickets online and you can cut that time in half. Nasty choke point in the opening foyer to the exhibit, better once you're down the stairs and onto the main display floor.

The gift shop at the end of the show was kind of cheezy. Poorly designed t-shirts and pin back buttons, a lot of the best stuff (i.e. useful to educators) already sold out, postcards that didn't do the displays justice.

But overall a good exhibit worth seeing.

[wiggy]

As for cameras - no idea...

Not allowed. No cell phone cams either.

[FuNPoLiCe001]

I went yesterday with my brother and gf, and it was crazy. I looked at the hours online, and it said they were open till 9 so we thought that the exhibits themselves would be open till 9, but they were only open till 5 (this is the regular exhibits, not body works), so we ended up having to wait 2 hrs with nothing to do to get into Body Works.

Pretty cool exhibit, but I enjoyed the Imax movie more, so I don't know what that says. It's cool the way he has displayed things, but it's not something that I haven't seen in an anatomy lab in 1st year. Yeah it's cool, but it's also 20 bucks and it took us about...50 minutes to an hr to walk through and see everything.

Overall a good exhibit, but I wouldn't go for just Body Works. You end up waiting for a long time with nothing to do. And admission for Science Center + Body Works is only 5 bucks more than just the plain exhibit, so it's a much better deal and you get to do ALOT more.

[ferkel]

Not allowed. No cell phone cams either.

they got some ultra high tech thing that prevents people from taking pictures of the exhibit. I couldn't use my digi-cam 'kept saving Mem disk error" until we came out of Body Worlds.

[blink]

To avoid some line-ups definitely book your tickets online!

I went yesterday for the evening (5:30 entry) - and while it was still packed, we had easy parking because everyone had just left from the day event, could skip the line-up for the tickets since we had them already from the web and just had to wait to get in the exhibit which actually moved quite fast.

I really enjoyed the event - brought together science and art, for sure. $20 is quite steep, but it is not like you'd really see this again.

[aquariaguy]

If you're familiar with the Science Centre - the exhibit actually starts on the first bridge, with cool lighting and display cases all along - then you come out onto the balcony of the Great Hall, with several specimens creatively posed to make use of the space, and finally the whole gGreat Hall downstairs is filled with many more "folks".

As to whether it's interesting or not - it really is just a big anatomy display - just a really cool one! I went with a family group from a grandmother 75 years old to kids as young as 7 - we all enjoyed it.

As for cameras - no idea...

Thanks for the reply biosh! I should enjoy it since i'm a biomed. major :)

[UrbanPoet]

Instead of an unsubstantiated shot, it might be better to provide some relevant background material to folks.

http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/pages/Pressemeldungen_allgemein.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunther_von_Hagens
I got the info from here. Not the best but ez/quick source.

[fakishan]

to all the guys out there, I recommend you skip the part when they slice a testicule. thank you Bordello for the torrent links (by the way part 1 and 2 of 4 don't have seeders) >:(

[Rosico]

went with the wife last week. good display for the most part but I didn't appreciate the dr's/artists(?) take on several of the pieces. Most of the people are in standard action sport shots but if you look at his newer ones, he is getting more and more, er, creative ... like "the Angel" where he rips apart someones back to make it look like they have wings ...

Though, the Exploded Man is perhaps the most informative IMO.

Check it out and visit the OSC while you're there ... some of the exhibits are in a sad state but others are great!

[kingsley]

they got some ultra high tech thing that prevents people from taking pictures of the exhibit. I couldn't use my digi-cam 'kept saving Mem disk error" until we came out of Body Worlds.

You're sh-tting me? I call bs.

[fakishan]

You're sh-tting me? I call bs.

hehe, quite unbeliveable story. inondading the building with electro-magnetic shockwaves.....

[felixdd]

A question to those who went to the exhibit regarding the pricing. The listed price does not include tax right? That is -- you didn't have to pay taxes on top of the prices?

[Anessa]

they got some ultra high tech thing that prevents people from taking pictures of the exhibit. I couldn't use my digi-cam 'kept saving Mem disk error" until we came out of Body Worlds.

Hmm I'm even more curious than I was before.

[Ducky]

taxes are included already in the pricing.

A question to those who went to the exhibit regarding the pricing. The listed price does not include tax right? That is -- you didn't have to pay taxes on top of the prices?

[xwar]

I went a couple weeks ago, pretty impressive.

[Anessa]

Cameras do work inside the exhibit as I discreetly took photos of the coal miner's lung and the ballerina cadaver, etc. Cell phones even work as I called my friend to arrange dinnertime =). Oh and it was fascinating...all you smokers should go and see what lung cancer and smoker's lungs look like.

[Ham]

I'm going Saturday at 4:30... can't wait :)

When you say cameras work, were you using a digital camera or a old school film camera?

[Anessa]

Digital cameras...both my Panasonic Lumix FX9 and my mobile phone's camera. They say you can't use them but for my 25 bucks...I was gonna take as many photos as I pleased

[Txiasaeia]

if you look at his newer ones, he is getting more and more, er, creative ... like "the Angel" where he rips apart someones back to make it look like they have wings ...

What you're describing is a Viking method of torture and execution known as The Blood Eagle. The ribs are cut down the back (along the spine) and then distended so that they look like wings. The lungs are then pulled out, and the victim dies. It's found in The Orkneyingers Saga and a few other sagas, if I recall correctly. So no, Dr. Menge... er, whatever his name is, isn't being creative; he's merely illustrating mediaeval torture and execution methods for the entertainment of the masses.

Anyway. Am I the only one that's somewhat disgusted by the description of this exhibit? Yes, cadavers are used to further medical science, as they should be: why shouldn't we use the dead in order to help cure the living? But setting up cadavers in action poses like GI Joes to entertain people seems fundamentally wrong to me. I have no problems for bodies being used to further science, as I've said before, but this is pure entertainment: what can be learned at this show that can't be learned through the Sobotta Atlas of Human Anatomy (available at any library), for instance?

If you break down all the components of this show, there's nothing in particular that's specifically wrong. People die of natural causes, other people take the bodies in accordance with their family's wishes and use them for this exhibit, only people who actually want to go to this exhibit do go... there's no rational reason for it, but the entire concept just makes me uncomfortable. Again, I'm somewhat surprised that I'm the first person to object, but this, on the other hand, shouldn't make anybody here on RFD surprised...

[felix]

That's pretty neat. Been there many times during elementary school. Wasn't planning to go back but I think this new exhibit might be worth a visit. :)

[Anessa]

They charge an arm and a leg now and it's somewhat better than in the late 80s when I was in elementary.

[lkn4deals]

it smells???

[purple_rabbit]

Does anyone know how to get discounted tickets? If so please PM me!