As a science teacher, I have wanted to attend Gunther von Hangen’s Body Worlds: The Original Exhibition, for many years. I thought about all the parallels between the exhibit and the curriculum that I teach my 6th and 8th graders - The Human Body.
Upon entering the exhibit, your mind immediately gets provoked by the presentation around technology and its impact on our daily lives, physically and mentally. After the presentation, you are allowed to walk through the exhibit at your leisure. The “teacher in me” loved the fact that EACH and EVERY display is accompanied with an explanation that describes the image. Sometimes the captions also have really interesting statistics. For example, nerve cells can travel up to 250 mph!
Upon entering the exhibit, your mind immediately gets provoked by the presentation around technology and its impact on our daily lives, physically and mentally. After the presentation, you are allowed to walk through the exhibit at your leisure. The “teacher in me” loved the fact that EACH and EVERY display is accompanied with an explanation that describes the image. Sometimes the captions also have really interesting statistics. For example, nerve cells can travel up to 250 mph!
Not only was the Body Worlds: The Original Exhibition informative, but the images were of very good artistic quality. The visuals included in the exhibit gave an up-front and in-depth look all of the body systems. I was able to see the individual parts of the respiratory system and then the entire system as a whole. Being that all of the exhibit pieces came from anonymous donors, I was able to see real-life proportions of the brain, lungs, and the intestines, just to a name a few organs.
The overarching theme of Gunther von Hangen’s Body Worlds: The Original Exhibition was the need for everyone to take care of their bodies, inside and out. There was a section where the exhibit showed the effect of smoking on the lungs. I was able to see what a healthy lung looked like, and then a lung that had been affected by smoking for many years. Seeing posters and pictures in school is not the same as seeing the “real thing.” What a powerful image!
My favorite part of Gunther von Hangen’s Body Worlds: The Original Exhibition focused on the weekly food budgets around the world. USA, Mexico, Canada, Japan, Australia, Italy and Egypt were the featured countries. Each representative family from the country was photographed with all the food that was purchased for the week. There was information regarding the actual amount of money that was spent to purchase the food as well as the family’s favorite foods. It was very eye-opening to see the variety of diets (and the amount of money spent) amongst the countries.
Gunther von Hangen’s Body Worlds: The Original Exhibition was really incredible! I think EVERY person should attend! Everyone can benefit from a greater understanding on how one’s body works. We should all be thinking about the impact of technology on our lives, the importance of healthy eating, and why we should explore other healthy lifestyle habits, such as exercising.
Consider making a trip to Gunther von Hangen’s Body Worlds: The Original Exhibition with the entire family! You will have a lot to talk about!
Address:
226 West 44th Street
New York, New York 10036
HOURS
Sunday – Tuesday: 10AM – 7PM
Wednesday – Thursday: 10AM – 8PM
Friday – Saturday: 10AM – 9PM
*Final Entry is 45 minutes prior to closing
