BERLIN (AP) - The German creator of the "Body Worlds" shows currently on tour in Asia, Europe and the United States has opened a new factory in the German city Guben, where visitors can watch corpses being preserved. Gunther von Hagens' newest addition to his displays of preserved human and animal bodies and organs, which have attracted more than 20 million viewers around the world, is aimed at offering the public what he calls a unique view of the preservation process, called "plastination."
Von Hagens, who has faced criticism in his home country, has said he plans to invest the equivalent of at least C$5 million to convert a former woolen factory, creating 200 jobs over five years.
A group of 20 protesters demonstrated against the new "Plastinarium" at its opening Thursday.
"Mr. von Hagens is breaking known taboos and making money at it," said Michael Domke, a Roman Catholic priest, who was among the protesters.
But Klaus-Dieter Huebner, Guben's mayor, welcomed the new factory, saying it would help the economic situation of the depressed town, about 130 kilometres southeast of Berlin.
Plastination preserves the corpses by replacing body fluids with liquid plastic. The plastic is hardened, leaving tissues intact. Bodies can then be displayed without formaldehyde or glass containers, so onlookers can come within centimetres of exposed organs.
8 comments:
That is so weird. I am not into the Bodyworks phenomena at all.
Scott
It cost 25$ at the Science Centre in T.O. My friend P and I went and we let our inner science nerd out for the afternoon and stayed for 4.5 hours.
your inner science nerd?
sounds like such an interesting exhibit. I can't say I would be against it. All in the name of Science. I love science, it's all the answer the curious child-like side of our brain is waiting for. Beautiful editorial writing.
LOL @ Tintin...Thats what I was thinking too.
That is very cool, and I was very sad that I missed the exhibit at the science center.
I would go and see this ... I enjoyed/ was disgusted by Body Worlds all at the same time.
I think I will apply for a job there. I'm sure my skills would be transferable.
Oh Heather, they'd be lucky to have you, but do you really want to live an hour outside of Berlin?
TT and PP, ... I don't know what to say....
I went to see the new Bond movie tonight and they have a scene inside the Body Worlds show.
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