BODY WORLDS Vital at Life Science Centre

August 19, 2014 by Rachel Kershaw in Art and Culture 5

Gawping at preserved human bodies is not how I typically spend a Thursday night, I’m much more likely to be found curled up on my sofa with a glass of wine and a good book! Curiosity got the better of me last week though and I simply had to go and check out BODY WORLDS Vital at the Life Science Centre in Newcastle to find out why over 38 million people across the world have already flocked to this intriguing exhibition.

BODY WORLDS Vital is like nothing I’ve ever seen before, an eye-opening collection of real human bodies, specimens, organs and body slices which have been preserved through Plastination, a ground-breaking process invented by a clever chap named Dr. Gunther von Hagens. It might sound rather gruesome but as I made my round the various exhibits, including individual organs, some of which showed signs of cancer and disease, I actually learnt a lot about how incredible our bodies are!  It was certainly thought provoking and as a cancer survivor myself the experience left me feeling very humbled! It was also an enjoyable evening though because, and I know this is going to sound odd, but BODY WORLDS Vital really is a thing of beauty!

So don’t worry about feeling squeamish, there’s a lot more to BODY WORLDS Vital than you might expect! I’d love to have taken some photos to include in this post but unfortunately photography is not allowed inside the exhibition. Instead, let me share with you this video from the Life Science Centre that explains everything you need to know!

BODY WORLDS Vital is open every day till 2nd November with later opening times till 8pm on Thursdays. Entrance is £12 for adults and £7.50 for kids but that also includes everything else at the Life Science Centre, so check out the 4D motion ride and Planetarium too!