We See
Dead People
Halloween is this coming Tuesday and you are
probably tired of the same costume party at
your friend’s house, or watching scary
movies at home. Or renting Halloween
to honor the great Michael Myers. But if
dressing up like Dracula or a Sexy Witch is
getting old, then go see real dead bodies.
Bodies…The Exhibition
finally made its way to Miami (officially
the city of South Miami) after several other
local governments turned it down. You see,
the controversy that surrounds this
meant-for-educational-purposes-only display
is where the bodies came from (we
don’t mean the stork or any such nonsense;
we mean their origins). These formerly
living folks are all unidentified cadavers
from the Republic of China.
Walking to the ticket counter area with a
dividing rope for crowd control has that
theme park feel to it. From the looks of it,
it’s really needed. Thousands of South
Floridians have already visited Bodies.
At the ticket booth you are offered an audio
and a non-audio tour. The audio version
features a cell phone-like contraption with
a number keypad, which you use to type in
the specified lecture number for the
corresponding specimen you are viewing.
The space formerly known as the Virgin
Megastore is dimly lit for effect. Awestruck
patrons gawk and press foreheads to
Plexiglas encasing the perfectly preserved
body parts.
At first, it’s hard to tell whether you
grimace from disgust, amazement or simple
bewilderment. It may very well be all of the
above. The thing about this exhibition is
that it may for the very first time make you
aware of the body you’ve been carrying
around for years (and we don’t mean the one
in the trunk of your car). The way all those
intricate organs, vessels, muscles and bones
work together in synchronicity. Now that’s a
pretty scary thought.
Each room — the 33,000 square feet are split
into systems of the body like circulatory,
nervous, digestive, reproductive, etc.— has
its own appeal, not to mention interesting
trivia about the human body. Did you know we
spend 30 minutes as a single-cell or that
babies are born with 300 bones versus the
206 we have as adults?
The “creepy” part of the exhibit is probably
all the cross-sections of different parts of
the human body. Something about a human body
sliced up like pork chops is definitely
unsettling. But still, you can’t help but
want to stare and get as close as possible
to whatever is on display. In some cases
there is no barrier between the visitor and
the dead body. No touching allowed.
The fetus and the circulatory-system rooms
are by far the most
awe-inspiring/shudder-inducing of all.
If you’re lucky you’ll get to hold a real
human heart. (It feels rubbery from all the
silicone used to preserve it but surreal
nonetheless.)
Bodies …The Exhibition
is on view through March 25, 2007 at The
Shops of Sunset Place, 5701 Sunset Drive,
Suite #150, South Miami. Tickets are $22.50
for adults, $16 for children under 12 and
$20.50 for seniors; tack on an extra $5 for
the audio component. Check out videos and
other information on the Web at
www.bodiestheexhibition.com or call
1-866-866-8265.
— Calendar Girl
calendargirl@miamisunpost.com
