Body Worlds Vital exhibition to be held in Joburg

3 Feb 2016

A new exhibition celebrating the wonder, resilience and fragility of the human body, Body Worlds Vital, is to open at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown, Joburg on Tuesday, 1 March, 2016. Visitors will get a detailed look at the human body and its keenly intelligent design, explore how it functions and see what happens when disease strikes.

This presentation is set to emulate the success of the Body Worlds exhibition hosted by Sci-Bono in 2013. Tyrone Thöle, MD of Great World Exhibitions, commented: "After the previous success of Body Worlds, we have been inundated with requests to bring it back. For me, this entirely new exhibition is an authentic and unforgettable experience and I am convinced that it provides the most meaningful and memorable learning opportunity for everybody."

The international Body Worlds series has been seen by more than 40 million people in more than 100 cities across the world.

Body Worlds Vital exhibition to be held in Joburg

Dr Angelina Whalley, curator and designer of the Body Worlds exhibitions said: "Body Worlds Vital celebrates the living human body in its optimal state - healthy, vibrant, vigorous and in motion. At the same time, it presents the leading health concerns of contemporary times, the causes of these conditions and diseases, and ways to prevent or manage them. It is our hope that visitors will recognise the potential of the human body, and will be inspired to live a life in good health and with vitality."

Visitors to the exhibition will be able to explore human anatomy, physiology and health through around 180 authentic whole-body plastinates, individual organs and transparent body slices. A pair of figure skaters performing a skilful lift, a foootball player dribbling a ball, and a chess player plotting his next move illustrate the body like never before. Healthy and diseased organs are shown alongside each other, while displays of the nervous and cardiovascular systems show the intricacies of our complex body. Specimens are permanently preserved through the process of plastination, invented by famed anatomist, Dr Gunther von Hagens.

Bodies on display have been willed by donors for plastination to increase public awareness of the human body. To date, more than 15,000 donors around the world have bequeathed their bodies to Dr von Hagens' Institute for Plastination after death.

As a guideline, Body Worlds Vital is recommended for children aged 8+. Children should be accompanied by an adult. Parents are invited to download the comprehensive Family Guide from the www.bodyworldsvital.co.za website to complement their visit.

Tickets are available now at www.bodyworldsvital.co.za and www.webticket.co.za