Bodies

How do you rate dissection as an art form? For one pioneering virtuoso of science, the preservation of the human body in the name of biological insight and art has earned him both controversial and critical acclaim for the past two decades and now, you can see it for yourself at the Luxor Hotel's newest permanent integration - “Bodies: The Exhibition”.

German anatomist Gunther von Hagens first patented a preservation process known as “polymer plastination” in the late 1970's. It wasn't until 1996 the world first caught a glimpse of the outcome of this pioneering patent – an exhibition of post-mortem human anatomies entitled “Body Worlds”. The controversial success of this first “test” led Hagens to China, where he opened the world's first plastination facility. A delicate process often exceeding 1,500 man hours for one specimen, Hagen's “plastination” technique involves the submersion of a post-mortem cadaver into acetone, to draw out all traces of water from the soft tissues. The body is then carefully preserved with the injection of polymer silicone into each tissue and dissected accordingly, prior to entering a vacuum chamber where all remnants of acetone are “pushed out”. Finally, a reactant is applied to the specimen or body which causes a chemical hardening process, the result of which is often likened to rubber in texture and malleability.

Stepping into the dimly lit and tastefully minimal main forum, your eyes are instantly drawn to the central podium, upon which a skeleton and a semi-dissected cadaver appear to be frozen in a twirling dance, hands joined as they lean backward to gain speed. The contrast between the two sets the precedent for the journey to come, which begins at the skeleton and travels through nine individual areas, showcasing educational exhibits from respiratory, through to the musculo-skeletal and nervous systems.

To say this is an eye-opening journey would be an understatement, for Hagen's creativity has lent itself to some truly fantastical feats of plastination sculpting. Within the Skeletal Gallery, you'll discover how the human skeleton is constructed through segueing exhibits that begin with the torso framework and extend to the limbs, joints and “mechanisms” of the body. It's fascinating to learn that for every second of our lives, over 2.5 million red blood cells are renewed in the bone marrow. The Muscular System Gallery develops your previous lesson, with the gradual addition of muscle to the body structure. Both whole cadavers and individual limbs can be inspected within a melange of glass cases, including several fitted with microscopes to view sample slides of muscle tissue. Wafer thin disections of specimens such as the glutus maximus, tongue and calf also offer a unique insight into the elaborate internal structure of muscles we use on a daily basis.

Collectively, the Nervous, Respiratory and Digestive System Galleries will both astound and dismay, for these areas showcase both healthy specimens and those whom succumbed to terminal illness and smoking related diseases. Encased within a single glass chest, the comparison between a grey and frayed smoker's lung, to that of a non-smoker, is probably one of the most impacting exhibits in the entire collection. Reproduction and Fetal Development encounters the various stages of pregnancy gestation, along with some remarkably preserved fetuses at varying degrees of development. Finally, you'll be confronted with a series of intact specimens engaging in sporting activities, demonstrating the complex network systems required to function just for the lifting of an arm or kick of the leg. Thought provoking and curious, Bodies: The Exhibition promises a learning curve where art meets science, and a tour of the human anatomy as you've never seen it before!