‘It's a personal thing': visitors' responses to Body Worlds

Abstract

von Hagens' Body Worlds is a traveling exhibition that allows the public to experience the internal human body through the use of plastinated cadavers. Visitor responses to Body Worlds have been mixed – ranging from awe and fascination to disgust. Some feel that the exhibition is undignified and disrespectful to the human body. Others marvel at the beauty and complexity of the human body and the ability to see such detail. This study investigates visitor responses and meaning-making to a controversial exhibition, Body Worlds. Using a naturalistic, qualitative case study approach, three highly personal visitor responses emerged: (1) personal narratives; (2) validations; and (3) transpositions. Our study suggests that the personal context of learning in informal settings is central to visitor meaning-making for visitors to exhibitions of this type. In particular, personal histories and strong emotional responses were pervasive. We infer that by encouraging personal connections to exhibits, science centers may enhance visitor meaning-making.