MHNN, photo : Joël Allmen
If we have no problem accepting that certain species of animals be stuffed, then it is not a great leap to stuffing our cats and dogs. Might we then decide to preserve humans in the same way? Does the illusion of life have its limits?
MHNN, private collection
The mummies of Palermo, Sicily MHNN, private collection
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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These are the thumbnails and texts for this alcove. They can be printed.
Preserving the Body : The Illusion of Durability
To preserve the appearance of an animal by retaining the shape and colour of its body in a motion that is fixed for eternity — such is the goal of the taxidermist.
Even if he occasionally manages to capture the raw power of a leopard or the splendour of a bird’s plumage, he is merely simulating living creatures. Ambition has its limits. Can he imbue his creation with breath, a beating heart, a moist eye, malice or cunning? The illusionist, however gifted, will sooner or later be disillusioned, because he lacks one essential: life.
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?
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?
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… |
