Science Museum Executed Head
October 10, 2012 § Leave a Comment
This Plaster model of an executed Chinese criminal case was made in England c. 1910 and resides at the Science Museum, London.
Description from Science museum site;
‘This model head is reportedly an executed Chinese Yangstze river pirate. It is made of plaster. The long ponytail is real human hair. It is particularly gruesome because it depicts the head in great anatomical detail. Arteries, veins and spinal cord are accurately modelled across the severed neck. The head also has its own bloodstained carrying box. The origins and purpose of the model are uncertain. It was possibly used in an exhibition because it was made in England early in the last century.’
[found on Moshita]
International Museum of Surgical Science, Chicago
October 2, 2012 § Leave a Comment
While I was in Chicago this September, I visited the Museum of Surgical Science which houses an amazing collection of medical, surgical and anatomical paraphernalia through the ages including this amazing plastinated human sliced into 1cm sections. The Museum also has a rotating ‘Anatomy in the Gallery’ exhibition featuring contemporary anatomical art (currently showing Jordan Eagles’ Blood Work).
Brains: The mind as matter at the Wellcome Collection
April 10, 2012 § Leave a Comment
The latest exhibition showing at the Wellcome Collection, London, is Brains: The mind as matter. More than 150 objects are only display ranging from more scientific items such as segments of real brains preserved form Einstein to art pieces created around the theme of the brain. Wellcome are hoping the viewer comes away with an appreciation of the brain not necessarily from a detailed psychological perspective, but rather from a social and cultural perspective.
Above (top) is an MRI of an artists set in perspex that you can walk through, A silver cast of a skull ‘From Within’, Annie Cattrell; Silvered bronze cast, 2006 (bottom left), Professor Dennis Spencer and team performing brain surgery; Colour photograph, Terry Dagradi, 2010 (bottom right).
Helen Pynor is an artist we have covered before, and whose image was chosen as the cover image of the exhibtion (shown below): Headache (2008) by Helen Pynor. Courtesy the artist and GV Art.
Natural History Museum: Animals Inside Out
April 6, 2012 § Leave a Comment
This exhibition is Body Worlds does Animals! Featuring nearly 100 plastinated animals and capillary specimens including Elephants, Gorillas, Giraffes (top), Sharks (middle – see info below), and Ostriches (bottom) to name a few. Animal Inside Out opens today 6 April 2012 until 16 Sept 2012 in the Natural History Museum, London.
‘Enter the exhibition and be drawn to the glowing red shark directly ahead. It looks almost unreal, but is a complete porbeagle shark that has had its skin removed to show the intricate blood system underneath. To display the blood capillaries in this way, coloured liquid resin is injected in the main arterial network. When the surrounding tissue is removed a perfect highway of vessels is revealed.’
[All images from Natural History Museum Website]
Wellcome Trust ‘Charms and Miracles’ exhibition
November 7, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Coinciding with the opening of the Wellcome Trust’s ‘Miracles and Charms‘ exhibition, this weekend saw their Day of the Dead event (above), with sugar skull decorating, papel picado, pan de muerte, marigolds, face painting, Mariachi band and a chance to make ofrendas for their altar to Henry Wellcome.
As part of their Miracles and Charms exhibition, Felicity Powell had taken inspiration from Edward Lovetts collection of 1400 amulets. One of her pieces was a film of MRI and CT scans of her own body overlaid with images drawn form the Lovett collection (below);
Francesco da Mosta Visits Bolognia Dissection Room and Anatomical Wax Museum
August 18, 2011 § Leave a Comment
In the first episode Francesco da Mosta’s new series for the BBC ‘Francesco’s Italy: Top to Toe’, he visits the dissection room of Bolognia University. Built entirely of wood in 1637, he describes the influence of artist Ercole Lelli on creating anatomical models. In the 1740′s Lelli made 8 life size models of human anatomy out of wax and Francesco visits The Luigi Cattaneo Anatomical Wax Museum in Bolognia to see them.
If you’re quick, you can watch this episode on BBC iplayer until 23rd August 2011.
Natural History Museum Human Biology Zone
July 7, 2011 § Leave a Comment
The Human Biology Zone in The Natural History Museum is an interactive area to explore the human body. Among the attractions, you can hear what it sounds like in the womb whilst standing in front of an enormous model of a baby.
Human Anatomical Model talk at Science Museum
July 4, 2011 § Leave a Comment
The multi-talented Joanna Ebenstein, is giving a talk at London’s Science Museum on July 5th 2011. You can catch ‘From Votives to Venuses: A Brief History of the Human Anatomical Model’ at 4-5pm at the Science Museum’s lecture theatre.
From Votives to Venuses: A Brief History of the Human Anatomical Model
Brought to Life
June 23, 2011 § Leave a Comment
This ‘Brought to life’ website is a brilliant way to find out about all the hundreds of anatomically related objects from the science museum. There are lots of different ways to explore this site, from an interactive animation showing the different historical beliefs in circulation to thorough descriptions of the weird and wonderful anatomical treasures in the Science Museum and Wellcome Collection.
London Dungeon anatomy dissection reconstruction
June 16, 2011 § 1 Comment
Don’t worry, the picture above is not real, it’s a model from the London Dungeons. Together with learning about London’s grizzly history with bodies, such as Sweeny Todd and Jack the Ripper, you can also witness a demonstration of a makeshift operating room. Here you can learn about some of history’s most blood-curdling medical practices and witness these ‘treatments’ carried out by a Tooley Street blundering Surgeon. A very entertaining theatrical experience. Tickets are lots cheaper if booked online prior to your visit.
