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| A stuffed pet, be it a cat, a dog or a canary, is an empty shell. Would it not be better to mourn its death and bury it, incinerate it or return it in some way to the great natural cycles of the biosphere? |
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The mummies of Palermo, Sicily MHNN, private collection |
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And what about human bodies? In western societies, the general rule is cremation or burial. With some exceptions: some great historic figures have been embalmed, mummified or stuffed and exposed to public view. Some less fortunate, anonymous folk are housed in pieces in medical collections.
And what can we say about plastination, a new way for the body to survive, developed at the Heidelberg Institute in Germany? |
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Humans have been obsessed with immortality since the dawn of time. Although controversial, an exhibit dedicated to plastinated or mummified human remains demonstrates the extent of this eternal quest. Because of this quest, the bodies of the dead are forced to wander the earth, from hospitals to museums, universities and exhibition halls.
Poster for the exhibit Körperwelten, Plastinated Bodies, Basel, Switzerland MHNN, private collection |
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| Poor Lenin, Mao and other bodies impregnated with formalin or silicone, will never be able to return to earth. Sooner or later, they will be viewed as toxic waste rather than noble and recyclable organic matter… |
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