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If you are searching for London events that delve beyond the ordinary and seek
to engage your attention by amazing you, then the Body Worlds and Mirror of Time
is straight up your alley. This is one of the rarest
exhibitions
, being themed on showcasing the functional and constructional elements of the
human body and uses the human anatomy as an architectural inspiration. This is
not the first time that London would be hosting this show. The event had first
come to the city as ‘Bodies the Exhibition’ in 2006 and due to its huge
popularity it now makes a comeback. Another related exhibition that has a
similar theme to it is an ongoing event called the ‘Body Slice’ at Wellcome
Collection but none of these can compete with the Body Worlds as it gets set to
shock and awe you at the O2 Arena, this season. The show is the brainchild of Dr
Gunther Hagens who has made a name for himself in creating exhibitions using
body plastination techniques. This is a rarely-used method of preserving human
bodies and this is exactly what the Body Worlds and Mirror of Time has to offer
— an amazing journey to the insides of the human body. To the faint-hearted, all
this may sound a bit outrageous but after spending a few minutes as this amazing
show, you realize that there is nothing appalling about the entire theme, as it
methodically explains and compares the vulnerability and resilience of the human
body. It displays something that every individual takes for granted — harmony of
the complex mechanism that is the human body. It is rare to see shows held in
London create the kind of curiosity that is seen among the prospective attendees
at the Body Worlds.
Those who might think that the idea is inspired by some horror flick need to
know that all bodies used at this show have been voluntarily donated for
scientific research. Just try and think of any other
London events
that could boast of enlightening you with an actual view of the insides of a human body
and explain how it is affected by old age/diseases and you would draw a virtual
blank. Those who believe that the entire theme is just a bit too spooky for
their or for the liking of the people in general, should know that the last time
this show was held, it occupied the imagination of the city as one of the
season’s main social events. In many nations, Dr. Gunther’s work has been
equated to be at par with art events, such is the level of intricate detail that
is visible in each of his creations. The scheduled exhibition at the O2 Arena
this autumn is being termed as perhaps the biggest ever scale on which it has
been presented and the entire collection will be put on display — something that
has been rarely done considering the mammoth number of specimens that have been
created over the years.
None of the other London events for this season have been themed on something so
outrightly exceptional. The exhibits have been crafted by dissecting and slicing
human bodies collected over many decades and then coating them with thin sheets
of a special kind of plastic. The first impression among parents might be of
extreme apprehension, but the fact is that such
exhibitions
give the children a rare and precious opportunity to understand what is being taught at
school. The show has been put-up in such a manner that the displays begin right
from the birth (pre-natal development) of a human body through to the journey
towards old age. The idea is not to be saddened by the mortality of the human
body but to be fascinated by understanding how it acts as an automated
configuration consisting of thousands of smaller ingredients that work in
prefect synchronization. The tickets have been priced between £8.00 and £14.00
and there are no age restrictions. Folks who had been waiting for London events
that could offer a slightly bizarre kind of thrill factor should make a point
not to miss this opportunity, as it will be some time before the Body Worlds
will come back to London.
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