Milan is hosting until February 17 this controversy and itinerant exhibition that has passed through countries as diverse as South Africa, Turkey, Mexico City or Tokyo, an exhibition laced with the admiration, awe and controversy of its viewers, which already are over 35 million.

It all begins in 1977, when doctor Gunther von Hagens ideas another conservation technique of biological remains, Plastination, which allows a better study of human anatomy and scientific dissemination. Thus, actual bodies are preserved through a process that extracts, firstly, body fluids with acetone and replaced by silicone or polyester. The organs are subsequently hardened by freezing and do not require any additional process to be preserved. It is a laborious process and for the conservation of a full human body but the results are amazing due to the similarity that bodies keep with their real appearance in life.

The controversy comes from using real bodies and sectors of society have rejected this, as with cloning, based on ethical and religious grounds, but, in general, it has been very well accepted by the scientific community and the grand public, as it lets us learn about our anatomy.

The exhibition focuses on the heart, considered the engine of life, and allows visitors to learn about the human body in an extraordinary way. The viewer can see without  any filters inside the human body, how diseases affect it, the complexity of our bodies and its similarity to some animals. The star of the show pieces are the rider and his horse and the poker players, emulating a scene from the movie Casino Royal and has been made possible by donations from over 10,000 people who have collaborated with the German Institute for Plastination.

The goal: to educate ourselves on maintaining our well being and a healthy lifestyle with proper nutrition, and we can see what exactly happens when we are not careful as we should. In any case, the vision you have of your body will change completely after attending this exhibition.

The headquarters of the sample is the Fabbrica del Vapore, a Milanese culture center designed to promote the creativity of younger audiences and usually with interesting program workshops, concerts, exhibitions, cinema and plays. The building was constructed in 1899 as a factory of railway materials and is a key player in the industrial history of Milan.

Address: Fabbrica del Vapore, via Procaccini 4

Prices: 15 euros for adults, 14 for students, 12 euros for children 6 to 18 and 40 euros is the family rate.

Hours: Daily from 10am to 20pm. Guided tours are on Thursday at 19h and Sundays at 11:30 h, with an additional cost of 6 euros.

Tickets can be purchased online by visiting the website: Vivaticket.

Elena Alvarez

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