Attempt 1: "Body Worlds"

The Museum of Science and Industry, located on the outskirts of bustling downtown Chicago, is luring adults and children alike with BODY WORLDS, an astonishing exhibit that provides unique insight into the human body.

Hundreds of human specimens are displayed as plastinates, where fats and fluids have been replaced with polymers that, once hardened, result in mannequin-like figures that are carefully dissected, bringing textbook images from anatomy class to life. The technique of plastination, developed in 1977 by Dr. Gunther von Hagens, allows visitors to observe snapshots of the organs, muscles, vascular and nervous systems comprising the human body.

The visitors range in age and occupation, from medical doctors to students to families with small children, each awaiting a chance to experience the artistic display of human form. As the crowd enters the exhibit, the initial reaction of “ewww” is quickly met with awe as the visitors acclimate to the rows of freestanding bones, joints, and muscles.

The exhibit is more than just a medical lesson, for it urges a deep, personal assessment of the concept of physical being. Diseased organs, prominently displayed alongside healthy counterparts, are a reminder that the human body is vulnerable and susceptible to ailments beyond human control. A male skeleton raises his skin high into the air, as if to remind the audience of the fragility of their sole layer of protection from the external world and the difference between them and the plastinates. This extraordinary exhibit captures the serenity of death that is well contrasted with the liveliness of the engrossed audience.

As the exhibit progresses from a dimly lit room lined with encased organs to the vibrant display of plastinates in action-like poses, the features that distinguish life from death diminish. The final room, filled with athletes in motion and women during pregnancy, leaves visitors with an appreciation of the complexity of the human body and a blurred perception of life, death, and rebirth. Each visitor exits, internalizing the images and gathering thoughts of what it means to be human and alive.

transitions

Transitions in our lives create opportunities for us to stop and think about what it is we want and choose for our future. I am approaching my final academic graduation. I have chosen to make a transition from the student life that I have always known to the beginning of a career that seems so elusive. The security and flexibility of a graduate student lifestyle, the sweet comfort of the familiar young and stimulating academic environment is soon to perish, as I actively pursue a new career. Why this transition? The reasons seem endless and it is a decision that has been in the making for 2-3 years. I will neither detail nor explain the factors that have led me to this decision, but for those that know my current situation should understand my choice.

"A decision is a decision & at some point you just have to make one!" -Liz