Thursday, April 1, 2010


FORMAL ANALYSIS OF BODIES-THE EXHIBITION
INDIVIDUAL MUSEUM ASSIGNMENT BY SHAHERZAAD GILANI

For this assignment I chose to visit “Bodies-The Exhibition”. My visit to the exhibition was amazing and fascinating. Since it was a body exhibition, I cannot choose one body because they are all the same just presented in a different manner each time. The exhibition featured whole and partial body specimens displaying the complexity of human body. The most alluring aspect of this exhibition was the manner in which each body was presented and preserved. Each cadaver exposed a different aspect of the human body.
First I wasn’t sure if I want to do my art project on this exhibit but after giving it a little bit of thought I decided to go with it because I think that human body is explicitly a walking proof of art. After visiting the exhibition I can say that the art of human body can never be appreciated enough. The way in which every nerve and every blood vessel is integrated around all the organs, muscles and bones in the body is just remarkable.
The exhibition was divided in to various sections, for example: digestive system, respiratory system, nervous system, circulatory system, reproductive system, fetus growth, etc. The exhibition as a whole was very captivating but one section I liked the most was the fetus growth. This area touched me the most in the entire exhibition. This section of the exhibition demonstrated a fetus growth from week one till the baby was delivered. It was amazing to witness how the fetal growth starts out with an egg and becomes a 6-7lb baby. The section also contained the body of a new born baby.
One of the cadaver’s was cut in to four pieces longitudinally, displaying all the organs of the body including sections of brain, heart, lungs, intestine etc. Another cadaver displayed all the muscles of the body. Also there were individual organs displayed in glass cases. Lungs, kidney, brain, liver and heart were some of the specimens put on show. It was fascinating for me to actually be able to look at these organs in reality, since I am biology major student, we learn about these organs in our classes all the time. These little organs perform so many different functions at a time that it was incredible to see the actual composition of these organs. It is artistic to be able to perform different functions at a time regardless of the size of these organs.
I think all the bodies presented in the exhibit were in balance. Since each cadaver showed a different aspect of the human body the balance was kept in different ways. Each cadaver was emphasizing a unique feature of human body. For example: one of the cadavers displayed the muscle system while another cadaver showed the human digestive system.
The entire exhibition was artfully compiled and thoughtfully presented to the audience. Visiting this exhibition was one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life. Human body is simple, yet intricate and most of all it is beautifully put together.

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