Body Worlds exhibition at the O2 Arena

I visited the O2 Arena yesterday to see the Body Worlds: Mirror of time exhibition. It takes you on a human anatomy journey which enables you to see the body transform through the aging process and to look at the diseases that affect it.

Body Worlds:Mirror of Time

As a Shiatsu Practitioner who works with the body I need to have a really thorough understanding of what is under my hands and how I can work with the body positively. You do gain a really good understanding and level of knowledge when training to be a Shiatsu Practitioner, but being able to look at full bodies rather than trying to piece everything together from a book is an invaluable experience. Having said that, there are some really great internet resources available now; but they just don’t give you the scale which you get from the exhibition.   

Being able to see full bodies (cadavers) really helped bring anatomy alive for me. It might sound like it is a really gruesome exhibit, as you are basically looking at donated dead bodies which have been preserved to enable us to understand our own bodies and how they function: but the plastinisation technique used gives the cadavers a model quality which allows you to focus on how amazing and intricate the human body is.  

It was really wonderful being able to see where the nerves run through the muscles to get a clear picture of where they are in the body, and which meridians run along them. I went with a Shiatsu colleague who is currently treating a client with shoulder issues and he was able to have a really close look at the shoulder anatomy and think about this in relation to his client.    

The exhibition also has organs and joints on display. I found it really useful being able to see a healthy knee joint compared to the arthritic knee which was displayed next to it. This enabled me to contrast and compare the two to be able to see the true impact of this debilitating dis-ease.     

One of my favourite exhibits is the Tai Chi man which displays different orthopedic and surgical operations. 

Body Worlds Tai Chi man

I would definitely like to go to the exhibition again before it leaves London at the end of August 2009 and would also encourage you to visit given the opportunity. 

I found some useful videos on You Tube if you want to look into this further: 

Gunther Von Hagens Body Worlds comes to the UK

If you’re having problems visualising the body structure under the skin, it might be worth your while visiting Gunther Von Hagens Body Worlds 4 exhibit at the O2 stadium from October this year.

“The only anatomical exhibition with an established body donation program and the informed legal consent of those on display, BODY WORLDS & The Mirror of Time will include more than 200 plastinates-specimens preserved through Plastination, Dr. von Hagens’ remarkable scientific process.

The exhibition will include more than 200 authentic ‘plastinates’ including several animal specimens preserved via a groundbreaking scientific process, created by Dr. von Hagens, to show the form, beauty, function, and potential of the human and animal body.

David Campbell, Chief Executive of AEG Europe, said: “The Body Worlds series has always intrigued and proved irresistible to the public. This new seminal exhibition from Gunther von Hagens will no doubt become one of London’s must see attractions and will appeal to anyone interested in how their body works.” ” (http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/media/releases_statements/releases_statements_2008.html?edit#040608)

For more information about BODY WORLDS & The Mirror of Time, please visit http://www.bodyworlds.co.uk.

You can see some pictures of what to expect here:http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/gallery/2008/feb/25/exhibition.photography?picture=332677692