On city breaks there never seems enough time to travel into the suburbs. However on this trip we decided to miss seeing some of the main sights in order to visit Gunther van Hagens’ Bodyworlds exhibition. We never got round to seeing this exhibition when it was in London and as it is only exhibiting in Phoenix, Chicago (go see, Expat Mum), Taipei, Cologne and Copenhagen at the moment, we couldn’t miss this chance.
It did involve a very short train journey. We prodded at a ticket machine in Norreport Station to no avail so had to squeeze into a chaotic ticket office instead. I was berating everyone under my breath for not queueing before I realised it was like the Sainsbury’s deli counter and we needed to take a ticket. It wasn’t long before a clean, swift S-train took us to Svanemollen Station and a short walk, via the helpful hedge-trimming linguists (see Part One) to the Experimentarium, which sounds rather menacing but in fact is the old Tuborg bottling factory turned into a Eureka/Science Museum type of place with lots of children going daft.
The exhibition was awesome, in the true sense of the word. Using a plastination process which expertly preserves dead bodies, van Hagens has exposed all the nerves and muscles in order to educate the visitor in anatomy and physiology. The exhibits are all the more enriching because he has manipulated them to show how the parts of the body interact with each other, for example when playing sports. Dougie was naturally very impressed and wished he had been able to see the intricate anatomical detail when he had been a medical student. For the rest of us, although there could have been a temptation to giggle, with reproductive organs on show as the bodies twanged electric guitars, played tennis, football and swam, in the main it was just too inspirational to be puerile….though the Admiral did have a rather splendid telescope.
All of the bodies in the exhibition had been donated for scientific research and I thought how marvellous it must be to think you could live on, posed ways that shouts life and vitality. I did wonder at the couple who are posed in flagrante for all eternity in the ‘reverse cowgirl’ position and hoped they were well aquainted with each other before their untimely deaths. This particular exhibit was shown behind a beaded curtain with the words “warning: the sex act is performed here” which naturally increased the traffic in this direction hugely.
If this comes to your city (Berlin and Basel soon) then I recommend you try and see it. Children above a certain age will certainly benefit, though having had a wild lever-pulling, button-pushing time in the rest of the building in Copenhagen, one 11 year old boy had written in the visitors’ book for Bodyworlds “there wasn’t enough to do”. Sigh.
I had heard about the couple in flagrante, glad to hear they are behind some sort of curtain! I wonder if in life they signed something to say they didn't mind what the hell they were doing! Emma 🙂
Emma – I wondered that too, but they both had a smile on their face….!
I missed this exhibition here in the UK and think it must be amazing to see. Sometimes you get a better taste of a City wandering out into the suburbs don't you….
@Libby – I would definitely venture further out again. We had a great afternoon after we'd visited the exhibition – that'll be in Part Four. I'm in danger of boring people with too many posts bbout our trip but it was so full and I want to remember it all for posterity!
Fabulous! I must stipulate in my will that I wish my dead body to be preserved in the act of completing one of the more difficult numbers from the Karma Sutre with a busty Essex girl (who may or may not be dead herself).
@Steve – I'm sure Gunther could arrange that for you. I'd buy a ticket.
Apart from the bit behind the beaded curtain, which must have seemed dead boring, it appears you've had a great time.
I daren't google 'reverse cowgirl'. I think it safer I live in ignorance! How bloody annoying are kids when you watch them having a good time and then later you get a grunt 's'alright suppose'. Do they do it on purpose to annoy?!
@Troy – we did, beaded curtains can't stop my fun.
@Kelloggsville – Reverse cowgirl: a favourite of mine as I can look out of the bedroom window at the same time and wave.
As to the kids, I think what made me sigh in this case was the fact that the rest of the museum was so interactive and 'child-friendly', so when the kids are faced with a purely visual experience like this afterwards, they aren't impressed as there are no buttons to press!!
Rory must be growing up as he didn't want to go near the interactive bit but found the Bodyworlds exhibition fascinating.
I've seen the catalogue… enough, I think, for me. And I'm not even squeamish!
@Dotterel – honestly it wasn't as creepy as I'd expected. I became more interested in the detail of the muscles and nerves to become spooked by the bodies themselves.
They also have exhibits of body parts diseased with lung cancer etc which would put anyone off smoking.
By the way – my reference to "dead boring" was as in "necrophilia is dead boring" – just in case you, or your readers missed it.
@Troy – I did miss it! I thought there might be some innuendo but couldn't work out what it was. You were too clever this time: either that or I was too dense.
We saw this in San Diego a couple of years ago. Our two teenagers, who normally run a mile at the suggestion of a museum or exhibition, were riveted. Definitely not to be missed!
@guineapigmum – Glad to hear of another fan. Interesting your teens found it fascinating too: no buttons or gimmicks, just astonishing exhibits.
Interesting. I've never been tempted, even though it was in London for ages. I think I was just really put off by an interview with him which just was a bit too ghoulish and creepy to make me comfortable with it. Even B, who wants to donate his body to medical science, for med students to throw his innards round a lab, isn't keen.
Glad you enjoyed it though, and maybe if it ever hits Edinburgh we'll try…
@plan b – I think van Hagens does come across a bit ghoulish but the actual exhibition, funnily enough, seemed very respectful and not at all creepy. I didn't have any doubts that I'd like to see it and I came away the better for it. But maybe we're a funny family!
That must be the same one as in Casino Royale? Not sure if I could take it. My son would be fascinated though – particularly the bit behind the curtain. I think I stayed up late one night and caught some of his live autopsies. Great for medical science, not so good for my stomach.
@Deer Baby – yes, it was in Casino Royale. I hadn't remembered but Rory did. I remember watching the autopsy too; I must have a stronger stomach than most.