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The Honolulu Advertiser
A show to love — or loathe | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper
Posted on: Saturday, June 21, 2008

ON VIEW
 A show to love — or loathe

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

'Bodies' is a fascinating display, but it's not for the squeamish.

Photos by DEBORAH BOOKER | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

RIGHT: Arteries of the skull and head are visible in this display. FAR RIGHT: This real human digestive tract is a fibro-muscular tube that runs from mouth to anus. It uses a combination of mechanical and chemical processes to break down the foods we eat.
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Bodies ... the Exhibition," now at Ala Moana Center near Nordstrom, makes a museum of cadavers.

Whole bodies, body parts; skinless bodies, young bodies, adult bodies; unhealthy body parts. They're all here, like a CSI convention display.

There is life after death here, so to speak. And you'll either love or loathe this display.

I first encountered "Bodies" at South Street Seaport in New York a couple of years ago. Throngs of people turned out: After all, New York is a museum town.

There seems to be less buzz here and more trepidation. Go? Not go? Depends on your curiosity or tolerance.

Some tips:

  • If you go, maintain a mood of calm and respect: You are among 20 or so dead people. The corpses allegedly are unclaimed Chinese bodies denuded of skin, showing musculature.

  • The remains resemble oversized plastic models from a life-size science kit, preserved through a process called "polymer preservation," to plasticize or rubberize to prevent decay.

  • There is no odor.

  • The eyes are mostly unreal, like marbles with pupils, but the muscles, nerves, heart and organs are real. The pretense is that you get a glimpse of how the body works, in good health and in bad. (A deteriorated cigarette smoker's lung would compel you to skip the puff; not pretty).

  • Should kids attend? Maybe. Youngsters are fascinated about how the body works.

  • Remarkable elements — the body's nerves spread out, without the flesh or organs; a dissected skull gives you a peek at the gray matter.

  • Leave your camera at home; you can't take pictures.

  • You'll need an hour for a self-guided tour; longer, if you're a slow poke. You can get an audio component ($6) to enhance your education.

    'BODIES ... THE EXHIBITION'

    Through December

    9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sundays (no admittance in the final hour before closing)

    Near Nordstrom (1503 Kapi'olani Blvd.), Ala Moana Center

    $26 general, $24 seniors, $19 college students, military, $18 children, at the box office; otherwise, fees apply

    877-263-4375, www.bodiestickets.com

    Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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