Science and the Gaze

In Chicago, in 2006, I went to see Gunther von Hagen's Body Worlds. At the time, I was not aware of the controversy surrounding both his labor practices in China or the source of his 'specimens'.

I took my children to the exhibit to try to explain to them what had happened to both of their grandfathers, who had both died within the year. We were able to see examples of cancer in the body, which really helped them understand what happened in one instance. We were also able to see how Parkinson's disease affects healthy brain matter. One grandpa donated his body to a medical school so doctors could learn more about Parkinson's disease by looking at what happened to his brain (although he would not have wanted to be on permanent display). His body was returned after cremation. The other grandpa spent $10,000 on a funeral. This was money that he did not have. I was conflicted about these issues at the time.

People asked me why I took my children to this and how they felt about it. I explained that I wanted them to understand that death was not to be feared, but rather understood so that we could make the most out of the time we have to live. Furthermore, the kids were not afraid or disgusted probably because my husband and I weren't. Other patrons of the museum were respectful as well.

I realize there are cultural differences in the interpretation of Body Worlds. I also now know that there were serious ethical concerns. Some of the bodies on display may have been of executed Chinese political prisoners. Hagen's has addressed this, but not to universal satisfaction. Also, Hagen's factory was in China where the labor practices were questionable. When he tried to purchase a facility in Poland for plastination of human bodies, there was an uproar due to the history of Nazi death camps in the region.

Now, as the picture above infers, Hagen's is processing more animals for his exhibits, again the factory is in China. It should be interesting to see if he gets as much flack for this as he does for his human exhibitions.