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

More documents

Recommendations

Info

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” \ 54 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?
Gunter von Hagens The Giraffe © Gunther von Hagens, Institute for Plastination, Heidelberg, Germany, Because the reported complaint was based on unfounded suspicion, the court dismissed the case. Since the Gorilla complaint, we have not faced noticeable opposition from animal right groups. It is now more widely understood that we do not kill animals for Plastination, but that we acquire already deceased animals from zoos and others. By introducing plastinated animals in teaching classes, we reduce the need for live animal dissections in bio-labs. Plastination is increasingly viewed as a method which supports the aims of animal protection groups rather than doing harm to the animals. 55 What are the main differences involved in the plastination of animal bodies and human bodies? The art of mastering the Plastination technology is to avoid shrinkage. At best, the tissue swells rather than shrinking. A special challenge is to permeate the dense connective tissue which encases muscles and organs as so called fascias which secure the shape of muscles and organs just as the so-called general superficial body fasciae adds to the shape of the whole body. The connective tissue as a whole is
Page 1 and 2:
Antennae Issue 15 - Winter 2010 ISS
Page 3 and 4: EDITORIAL ANTENNAE ISSUE 15 I In 20
Page 5 and 6: CONTENTS ANTENNAE ISSUE 15 6 Mammal
Page 7 and 8: Bastien Desfriches Doria Stephanie,
Page 9 and 10: Bastien Desfriches Doria Eric, Mamm
Page 11 and 12: Bastien Desfriches Doria George, Ma
Page 13 and 14: means I have to go unto the heart o
Page 15 and 16: constitutionally unable to embrace
Page 17 and 18: I ntroduction: Ceramic Containers,
Page 19 and 20: with clay becomes a ‘naturalized
Page 21 and 22: Patz Fowle The Revenge of Other Whi
Page 23 and 24: Hirotsune Tashima Family Dining, 20
Page 25 and 26: Bonnie Seeman Untitled, Gravy Boat,
Page 27 and 28: 27 MEAT: FLESH-POTS DIGESTING AND T
Page 29 and 30: Cara Judea Alhadeff Mirrormappings
Page 31 and 32: The eye is a wound which suggests i
Page 33 and 34: Cara Judea Alhadeff Mirrormappings
Page 35 and 36: Cara Judea Alhadeff Cara Mirrormapp
Page 37 and 38: energy and sensual and political po
Page 39 and 40: [7] “Shiva is the link between li
Page 41 and 42: S imone Racheli has developed an in
Page 43 and 44: Simone Racheli Asciugacapelli, (Blo
Page 45 and 46: Simone Racheli Telaio di Bicicletta
Page 47 and 48: Progressive”. The central inquiry
Page 49 and 50: Gunter von Hagens Blood Vessel Conf
Page 51 and 52: about reality, occasionally led to
Page 53: Gunter von Hagens The Bear © Gunth
Page 57 and 58: Gunter von Hagens The Ostrich © Gu
Page 59 and 60: Edenic world. Such claims about the
Page 61 and 62: mankind, in the garden of Eden." [x
Page 63 and 64: Damien Hirst 63 Some Comfort Gained
Page 65 and 66: active in specific materials. The l
Page 67 and 68: Damien Hirst The Impossibility of D
Page 69 and 70: uncovered and deprived of their env
Page 71 and 72: http://www.mummytombs.com/mummyloca
show all

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

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?