ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Unsure of what to expect but curious enough to actually enter, dozens of people streamed through a traveling exhibition Tuesday showcasing what its creators say is “the twilight between life and death.”
Inside the Da Vinci Science Center, individual organs and whole-body plastinates proved mesmerizing – transformed by a process that replaces bodily fluids with hardening silicone.
- BODY WORLDS RX was unveiled at Allentown's Da Vinci Science Center on Tuesday
- It showcases individual organs and whole human body plastinates
- The exhibition opens Dec. 26 and runs through April 23
To that end, BODY WORLDS RX amounts to one of the more visually stunning displays that has ever come to the Da Vinci Science Center.
And it’s there for a four-month stay, putting Lehigh Valley residents among more than 50 million people worldwide to see it.
The exhibition will open Dec. 26 and run through April 23, but was officially unveiled Tuesday during a reception and preview for invited guests and media.
The specimens, sealed behind glass barriers, are set in life-like poses that creative and conceptual designers say have been carefully thought out and serve educational aims.
Each plastinate is posed to illustrate different anatomical features, and the process to preserve each body is incredibly complex, said Dr. Angelina Whalley, a special guest at Tuesday’s event and the exhibition’s curator.
Whalley said the fact that the bodies shown are real increases the value of the experience, “bringing one particularly close to oneself.”
“Opening the doors of this exhibition [27 years ago], it was really remarkable,” she said. “It was not only that people stood in line, sometimes for several hours to get in. What was even more remarkable was to see how people reacted inside.”
The traveling exhibit now housed at Da Vinci features more than 30 specimens, while some of the larger exhibits around the world have featured more than 75.
Whalley said viewing Body Worlds has inspired people to take on careers in anatomy or in the medical field. But more than that, it has inspired visitors to choose a healthier, more conscious lifestyle and focus their attention on their own well being.
The tours began in the mid-1990s in Europe and first came to the United States in 2004. The exhibition celebrated its 50 millionth visitor in November 2019, having been to six continents, 34 countries and 140 cities at that point.
BODY WORLDS RX in Allentown concentrates on the dramatic effects of disease, showing what ailments such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and dementia do to the human body.
Visitors will see organs on display that display cancerous tissues and tumor metastases, along with a pair of healthy lungs next to a pair of lungs ravaged by years of smoking.
“We have our bodies with us all our life,” Whalley said. “Without the body, we could not think, we could not experience, we could not learn, we could not have a family, we could not have anything. So we are truly our bodies.
“What I hope people will take away from this is that it will prompt them to attend to their body, their life, more carefully, and it will inspire them to take care of their body. Because the body is the vessel, the embodiment of life.”
"The body is the vessel, the embodiment of life."Dr. Angela Whalley
The specimens on display at Da Vinci are made up of bodies donated for the purpose – those individuals who agreed, upon their death, that their bodies could be used for educational purposes in the exhibition.
All the whole-body plastinates and the majority of the specimens are from these body donors, who agreed their identities and causes of death would not be revealed.
All bodies are processed in Germany, and there are about 20,000 people who have signed up to have their bodies be used for the cause.
“There are about 76 from Pennsylvania that have signed up, including two from Allentown,” Whalley said, indicating those who have signed up have seen the exhibition and want to be a part of the anatomical education Body Worlds offers.
“It must be a natural death,” Whalley said of using the bodies. “You can still be an organ donor and donate the rest of your body to Body Worlds.”
Lin Erickson, Da Vinci Science Center’s executive director and chief executive officer, was excited to get BODY WORLDS RX to Allentown.
“We're excited to bring this exhibit to the Lehigh Valley because it provides a preview of the kinds of experiences we will have at the new science center that we're building in downtown Allentown, the DaVinci Science Center at the PPL Pavilion, which will open in the spring of 2024,” Erickson told the crowd.
Erikson added that plastinated specimens would be on display there as part of the LVHN My Body exhibit.
Erickson said the exhibition “optimizes both the aesthetic and educational value of plastination,” and the approach shows the integration of arts with science, engineering, technology and math.
“Dr. Walley’s memorable thematic storytelling, as well as her accessible teaching approach, has inspired millions of people around the globe to discover the wonders of the human body and adopt healthier lifestyles,” Erickson said.
What: BODY WORLDS RX
Where: Da Vinci Science Center, Allentown
When: Dec. 26, 2022 through April 23, 2023
Cost, other concerns: Due to its subject matter, the display is in a private area away from other exhibits, and there is a separate entry fee. The display is considered family-friendly, but Dr. Whalley encourages parents to remain with their children at all times to answer questions.
For more information, including an FAQ addressing ethical questions concerning the exhibit, visit: https://www.davincisciencecenter.org/body-worlds-rx/
