Meet Animal Meat - Antennae The Journal of Nature in Visual Culture

philosophy of life of the viewer."
Body Worlds was first presented in Tokyo in
1995. The exhibition has since been
hosted by more than 50 museums and
venues in North America, Europe, and
Asia. Aside from the huge controversy that
the displays initially received, what do you
think audiences take home from their
visit?
BODY WORLDS has been presented in 60 cities on
three continents since its world premiere in 1995.
The exhibitions encourage people to reflect upon
the fleeting nature of life, and the habits and
lifestyles which impinge on individual wellbeing
and longevity. Comparative anatomy of healthy
organs and those in distress or disease encourage
visitors to consider habits such as poor nutrition,
unhealthy diets, smoking, and substance and
alcohol consumption.
Our frequent polling and post-visit surveys
indicate 10% of visitors saying that they smoked
less and consumed less alcohol after their visit to
the exhibition, 33% following a healthier diet, 25%
engaging in more sports activities, and 14%
becoming more aware of their body.
Almost 340 assistants work in five different
laboratories around the world in order to
create the plastinated bodies for the
show. The one located in China
specializes in animal bodies. Are there
specific issues involved with the handling
of animal bodies that justify this work
being carried in China, or is it simply a
coincidence?
Between 1995 and 2007, I educated 83 Chinese
curators and medical doctors in dissection in
Heidelberg, Germany. Thus, the main human
resource for Plastination skills is Chinese. In
addition, the Chinese mentality results in a more
careful, skillful and patient approach to the
specimens. Their dexterity and fine muscle
coordination which is fundamental for high quality
results, is far superior compared to German skills.
There are structures in the human body, such as
the nerve knot which regulates the blood pressure
(glomus caroticus) that are routinely dissected in
China in anatomy classes, whereas in Germany
this is considered an impossible task.
The plastination of large animals is a huge
undertaking and China offers the most financially
viable means to do so. The elephant “Samba” \
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cost 3.5 million Euro to produce; it would have
cost substantially more to complete in Germany.
Body World 3 featured the plastinated
body of a giraffe which took three years to
complete – ten times longer the length
usually required by the plastination of the
human body. Why did it take so long and
what were the challenges involved?
The challenge with the giraffe was that we
needed to understand the detailed anatomy of
this animal, including every small muscle up to a
level not yet described in scientific or even
teaching literature. We thus had to spend a lot of
time on documentation. Since the giraffe was
monumental, we required additional Plastination
hardware such as lifting devices and large cooled
dehydration and polymer impregnation
containers. So we had to add the acquisition of
this hardware to the manufacturing time of the first
giraffe we plastinated. Ultimately, the
manufacture of this first giraffe took us 15,000
working hours.
Why did you deice to have a giraffe in the
show?
As the high public interest into dinosaurs shows,
the general public loves the gigantic aspect of
life on earth. The museum audience is always
keen on superlatives – the bigger, the better! They
want to be astonished. And a standing giraffe is
the tallest animal on earth with a height of 5
meters. Especially the 50 centimeters long tongue
is absolutely fascinating. The giraffe can use it like
a hand and is able to grab leaves from the trees
with it. Moreover, I believe, it is the most funny
animal on earth with its long legs and long neck,
but a ridiculous short body.
In 2003, Body Worlds included the
plastinated body of a Gorilla which was
donated by Hanover Zoo (Germany) where
the animal had died of natural causes.
Animal rights organization filed a
complaint alleging that key paperwork
allowing for the plastination of the body
were missing and the case went to court.
Eventually you won the case and the
animal was re-instated in the show. Why
do you think animal rights activist
intervened? Do you receive much
resistance from animal rights activists with
regards to the inclusion of animal bodies
in your shows?