Full jibblies included
Posted on October 19th, 2009 –
I was the happy recipient of my first ever, bona fide media pass this weekend:
Yup, that’s my real last name. Kinda underwhelming, huh? And you wanna know the strangest thing? Never did the kids tease me with Patrick Gay when I was young. Nope, it was always, “So did you score a hat-trick, Patrick?” “Hells yeah, dumbass,” I’d reply in my best Czech-English hybrid, “everyone in my country plays hockey like stars. Don’t you?”
I remember being friends after that.
Sorry, I’m getting off track. The point was that I was invited to come see an exhibit as a rep of TCL. I went disguised as myself; totally got away with it! Neat :)
This time, security apologized to me for asking me not to take photos. “Oh, sorry, sir. Wish they’d make those tags bigger!” “Hehe, that’s okay. By the way, I need to speak to your superior regarding your atrocious behaviour, swine!”
The power. *shiver*
I would’ve been very interested to see this exhibit anyway, so getting an invite was like a cherry on the whipped cream. With my favourite dessert underneath. Alas, I received no remuneration, alcoholic beverages, or comely female accompaniment, so I feel my hosts could’ve done better in those areas. But good on the Science Centre for inviting a good cross-section of media, even the little guys. *sniff*
And I must say, it’s really nice to be able to share a few photos with you, dear reader, in a much more relaxed manner.
Yeah, not that relaxed. But close.
This was one of those things where I just needed to move slowly and take photos of everything; no rush. The exhibit was all about athletics. Or love. Or something. I think. There were lots of smaller bits in display cases interspersed throughout that provided close-up details of something or other, and always in full colour:
Those are real human body parts, dear reader. Preserved for a good long time through a process called plastination. To sum it up, the sliced-up body part is submerged in acetone which replaces the water in the cells. Under a vacuum, the acetone boils off while a polymer (plastic) gets sucked in. The cell walls are basically filled in with plastic. Then they add soul-piercing eyes:
To be honest, I think that what’s left is more plastic than human. Feels that way too. Do you have one of those thick hard plastic cutting boards? Yeah, feels like that.
Even though I think everyone at the exhibit knew that these were at one time real people, I think that they just seemed more like super-detailed mannequins. Everyone could just tell.
No freak-outs. No screaming kids. Not even at the more Gigeresque sections:
I must admit, I read nothing while I was there. They handed me a handset that I could use to dial up info on the exhibits but it slept comfortably in my pocket the entire way. I have no idea why it was called “The Story of the Heart”. Apparently there was a narrative or something.
I was considering whether or not I’d be willing to slap down $35 for a ticket to see this. The exhibit space isn’t that large, but I easily spent two and a half hours in there. I imagine the other shows by the IfP (the people behind all of this), are of equal length. Pricier than a movie, but definitely a unique experience.
And let me answer those three nagging questions that are no doubt running through your mind:
- No, these are not unlucky convicts.
- Yes, full jibblies are included. Sometimes mid-jump!
- Let me answer this one with another question: but is it art?
... with pictures
... with sounds
... with videos
... with opinions
... that's shorter
... that's longer
October 20th, 2009 10:57 am
This looks really interesting! I don't know that I would consider it art as much as I would a very expensive science project. But cool never the less!
October 20th, 2009 1:07 pm
Definitely an interesting experiment, Inge! To me, art is the masterful expression of a skilled and talented individual (or group). I guess this would qualify, even though I'm not sure what the exact message was. Guess I should've read the index cards :)
October 20th, 2009 12:59 pm
Congratulations Patrick on being an accredited media rep. Well done! And who cares what the exhibit was about – you were there on official business. Yay!
October 20th, 2009 1:10 pm
Haha! — right on, Jan! It's all official business from here on in. But as a professional, I think I'm entitled to some of those perks I mentioned, don't you think? I'll be okay without the cash for a bit, but the booze and the comely lasses better be there next time!
October 20th, 2009 1:06 pm
Awesome pics and pretty cool name.
October 20th, 2009 1:11 pm
Really, Roschelle? With a name like Roschelle, you think "Bay" is cool? You're a strange strange woman … but thanks! :D
October 20th, 2009 3:44 pm
High five on being media! I took the girl about three or four years ago when the exhibit was here and it blew us away! I only got freaked out when The girl pointed out the guy's eyelashes then it was time to leave! :o)
October 21st, 2009 6:51 am
Thanks, Mom. I tried not to get too close to any of the displays lest the souls of the dead should try to inhabit my body. But yeah, there's something extra creepy about eyelashes and fingernails, isn't there? For some reason, they're just a bit too close to the real thing!