BODIES... THE EXHIBITION

For some, learning about the human body is something only achievable with the help of textbooks and documentaries. Our knowledge about human anatomy is typically acquired through the examination of images and literature. Unless an individual is studying a subject related to a medical field at the postsecondary level, it’s uncommon that any of us will have the opportunity to examine human remains up close. However, for a short time, Winnipeggers will have the opportunity to see dissected human remains in the flesh at BODIES… The Exhibition.

BODIES… The Exhibition, which runs until January 9, 2011 at the MTS Centre Exhibition Place (311 Portage Avenue), is a travelling show which displays almost 200 organs and body parts, as well as corpses in a variety of life-like poses on display.

According to Premier Exhibitions, the group responsible for the touring exhibitions, the specimens on display are preserved by using a liquid silicone rubber. The silicone prevents the natural decay of the bodies, which allows viewers to look at the various systems of the body in a preserved state.

The exhibition has garnered media attention because of protests over the content of the displays. The corpses and body parts used in the exhibition are leased by the Chinese government to Premier Exhibitions for the travelling show. According to an article in the Winnipeg Free Press, Premier Exhibitions can’t independently verify the identities of the bodies on display, nor can the company verify whether or not the bodies came from executed prisoners.  

The exhibition itself, controversy aside, is remarkable. The displays are spread throughout two levels of the MTS Centre Exhibition Place. The tour starts on the second level of the building. After a brief escalator ride, visitors begin a journey through the various systems of the human body. Each system, skeletal, circulatory and so on, is displayed in separate sections.

The atmosphere on the second floor is almost foreboding. The house lights are dimly lit, and the walls are covered in dark paint. Every display, including the cadavers, is spotlighted which makes them standout against their dark surroundings.

The most remarkable display on the second floor is a body which has been stripped of all its flesh and organs, left only to display the entire circulatory system. The veins and arteries are bright red, and instantly catch viewers’ attention.

Photo from Sara Harrison

The tour ends on the main level of the building where visitors can view such displays as the digestive system. The setup of the displays is different from those on the upper level. Whereas the upper level is divided neatly into separate, well defined exhibits, the main level is more open. The feeling that you are following a defined path throughout the exhibit is lost on the main level.

BODIES… The Exhibition allows viewers an unparalleled opportunity to view the human body. It’s an incredible experience that is worth seeing before it ends on January 9, 2011. The exhibition runs from 10:00 to 9:00 Mondays through Saturdays, and 12:00 to 6:00 on Sundays. Tickets for the show are less expensive on weekdays ($19.95 on weekdays for an adult versus $23.95 on weekends), and family and group packages are available. 

BIRDSONG REVIEW

The short story Birdsong, written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is about a Nigerian woman living in Lagos who recounts her love affair with a well-to-do, married Nigerian Businessman.

The protagonist, who works as a community-relations worker for a telecom company, remembers her ill-fated relationship with her lover while stuck in traffic. Also while caught in the gridlock, she grows concerned about a woman sitting in a car next to hers, who is staring at her. She can't help but wonder if the woman in the car next to her is her former lover's wife.

One recurring theme that is buried within the story is the veiled references to the impacts of modernity on Nigerian society. Whether it's references to new lifestyles - the fact that the protagonist is one of two women working in her company, unmarried at 32, and engaged in an affair - and the suggestions that the ways of the past were backwards - references to tribes.

The relationship the protagonist and her lover are engaged in is a product of changing societal pressures in Nigeria. The lover is from the new gentry, pursuing the same lavish lifestyles - mistresses included.

In my opinion, the story's greatest strength is the way the protagonist goes from present to past throughout the story. The narrative flows from the protagonist's experience in the car, to experiences she had with her coworker and friend Chikwado, and the experiences she shared with her lover. The author effortlessly jumps from one setting and memory to the next without making the story feel cumbersome and hard to follow. 

The story appeared in the New Yorker, the September 2010 edition. Ngozi Adichie, born in Nigeria, is an accomplished writer whose work has been published in several journals and anthologies, and has also written novels, poems, and a play. She holds a master's degree in creative writing from John Hopkins University. For a more detailed biography of the author, including a full list of publications and awards, visit Ngozi Adichie's website. 

If you would like to read Birdsong, go to the New Yorker's website.