Portland Science Center
Body Worlds Exhibit Opens Friday

Portland Science Center to Open Friday with Body Worlds Exhibit

The Portland Science Center is going to host the world famous “Body Worlds” exhibit starting from September 4. The travelling exhibition showcases the preserved human bodies and their organs in a bid to educate the public.

The exhibit is a concept created by Gunther von Hagens, the German anatomist some 20 years back. Since 1995 the exhibit has toured over 130 cities across America, Europe, Asia and Africa attracting more than 47 million visitors. The exhibit was held across big cities like Dallas, Los Angeles, Charlotte, Chicago and North Carolina in the USA. It also toured other cities like Berlin, Brussels and London.

Body Worlds at Portland Science Center

Gunther von Hagens has used a technique called plastination to prepare the internal organs and the body for display to the public. He invented the technique for preserving bodies in 1977 which is now an internationally approved scientific procedure.

Portland Science Center Body World Friday

The exhibit has drawn much controversy over the years for displaying the actual remains of the human bodies. A group from Ohio State faculty staged protests against the human body exhibit at Columbus in 2012. Recently in 2018, a group of human rights activists, lawyers and academicians protested against the exhibit at Sydney on allegations that it displayed bodies of executed Chinese political prisoners.

The "Body Worlds" has tried to clear the controversy around the exhibit by including a pledge on their website that says all bodies in the exhibit has been willingly donated. They have also presented an "ethical review" of their display hosted by the California Science Center. Also, the philosophy behind the exhibit is to educate the public and help in preventive healthcare.

The website also states that the donors of the bodies consented to have their bodies displayed to the public and none of the bodies was collected otherwise.

The tickets are priced at $19.50 for adults, $15.50 for children below 12 years and $17.50 for students, senior citizens and military personnel. Children under 3 years of age will not require a ticket.

Body Worlds on September 4 at Portland Science Center

You can purchase the tickets online from portlandsciencecenter.com in advance. Tickets will also be available from the box office from Friday, September 4. The exhibit will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.