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Saturday, September 21, 2013

30 Days of Photographs IV: Anatomy

Day 21 of 30 Days of Agony. You know what to do.


Day 21: Anatomy

The sign said, "No Photography Allowed". 

I forced M to be on the look out while I grabbed my phone and tried to find the camera button on it. We were at the Body Worlds exhibition in Helsinki, surrounded by dead bodies, stripped of their skin and immortalized in plastic. It was dark and people were slowly walking around, talking in hushed tones.

Over by the huge display case filled with hearts in various stages of decay, I saw a member of the staff. M was doing his best impression of a shady crook, glancing over his shoulder suspiciously. I finally got the camera working and pretended to be reading a text while surreptitiously sneaking a photo. The woman from staff turned and M grabbed my arm, pulled me away, and said, "Quick, let's get out of here!", in a stage whisper loud enough to wake the dead guy I'd just taken a photo of.







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37 comments:

  1. Oh, I'm disappointed. I told people they'd be able to check out your anatomy.


    Boy, the lengths you go to for a photo prompt. I'm impressed. I bet you sneak your camera into Bob Dylan concerts.


    Sounds like you got away with this by the "skin" of your teeth.

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  2. I don't think they confiscate cameras at museums. Only in school and casinos. Oh, and in prison. No cameras in prison.
    That is one cool photo.

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  3. I'm so glad that you were able to sneak this shot, and it's a dandy. I'd love to see this exhibition. I think I'd be hushed and reverent. What was this like for you? Serious question because wow, those people were once alive.

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  4. It's a little grotesque. Yeah, not eye candy.

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  5. Crazy cool stuff, Ziva! Glad you escaped by the skin of your teeth. Given the subject matter of the exhibit, I hate to think what they would have done to you if you'd gotten caught. Seriously, though... that's an awesome exhibit that would be fascinating to see.

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  6. Oh my! What a strange exhibition and one that I would not be visiting :)

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  7. Ooh, ahh. I love it. I want to see that expedition. I never seem to get to it when it's close by. Nice job on the phone photo!

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  8. Now I see the motivation for the prompt anatomy!

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  9. That photo is TERRIFYING and yet super cool! I'm glad you were able to sneak this shot with your cellphone!

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  10. It worries me that you know that tidbit of info about prison ~

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  11. They can go back to NSFW if they want to check out my anatomy.



    I sneak my camera in everywhere. I'm slowly getting used to the weird looks I'm always getting.

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  12. Thanks Shawn. Now, tell us more about prison.

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  13. Yes, it was all very hushed and reverent. Even I, believe it or not. I felt a bit bad about sneaking that photo, but I only took the one and put the phone away. It was incredibly interesting to see all the bodies and what we're all made up of. They had organs in various stages of disease, and they even had a pregnant woman, where you could see both the mother and the baby inside of her belly. I had to remind myself that these people made the decision to donate their bodies to this project, and they wanted people to see this.

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  14. It was incredibly fascinating. I have a whole new understanding of how the human body works.

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  15. Yeah, it's definitely not for everyone. :)

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  16. Ha! We decided on the prompt before I went to this exhibition. ;)

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  17. Thanks, Meleah, it really is creepy, but so fascinating!

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  18. I may have to go on an expedition to see it but I meant exhibit. Hee Hee.

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  19. Haha, I didn't even notice! We see what we expect to see, eh? ;)

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  20. Well, so much for enjoying my breakfast. Thanks alot!

    I guess we're even now for the dragonfly closeup.

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  21. It's a worthy project and I wouldn't hesitate to donate my body in all its brokenness. I'm an organ donor and I'm not sure any of mine will be viable because I've not treated my body well. Realistically, this is a better option for me to do something that might help as a teaching tool.

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  22. We saw this exhibit several years ago and I'm still in awe over it. I was kind of 'forced' to go--everyone else wanted to see it and I didn't, but I went along with the crowd--and I don't know if I've ever been as awestruck. The reverence everyone had for the exhibition was incredible. I held it together and was very 'clinical' about everything until I got to the fetus/pregnant woman part of the show--it really got to my heart. (My daughter had given birth to a stillborn not long before we saw this, so it hit home.) I'm impressed that you actually got a photo--I wasn't brave enough to try, although I saw others do it. Kudos! :)

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  23. It was an amazing exhibition and I'm really glad we went. It was a real eye-opener. We were lucky they came to Finland this year so we had a chance to see it. The pregnant woman and the fetuses really made you stop and think, as did the smoker's lungs compared to the healthy ones.

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  24. I agree, Cheryl, and having seen the exhibition, I have great respect for the people who chose to donate their bodies for the cause. Many of them had cancer or other diseases, and the exhibition showed what these diseased do to our bodies.


    I'm not officially an organ donor, mostly because I just haven't registered as one out of sheer laziness, but luckily the law changed in Finland in 2010 so that every person who's a suitable organ donor automatically is one unless they've explicitly said that they don't want to donate their organs when they die.

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  25. Jay of The Depp EffectSeptember 21, 2013 at 11:57 PM

    That is definitely something I'd like to unsee!

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  26. I've never been convicted of any crime.
    Major crime.

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  27. I'm sorry, Jay, but you must've known coming into this challenge that you'd see a whole lot of stuff you wish you could unsee. ;)

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  28. mikewjattoomanymorningsSeptember 22, 2013 at 3:55 AM

    Golly, I'd love to comment on this photo but I can't.

    Why?

    Because it's disqualified. The exhibition rules clearly state "no photography" and we simply can't have our 30 Days participants violating rules and laws just to get photos.

    So sorry, Ziva.

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  29. A rare shot. Really, rare. But a perfect shot, and l love the hi-jinx. Life partners in crime.

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  30. I wanted to see that SO BAD... I haven't been anywhere that they have it. HOW COOL... and I love you snuck a picture... you are a rock star in my eyes!

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  31. mikewjattoomanymorningsSeptember 22, 2013 at 4:32 AM

    She cheated!

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  32. Oh how I wish you had that moment on video! I have never been to one of those exhibits - they kind of freak me out.
    :-)
    Traci

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  33. Jay of The Depp EffectSeptember 22, 2013 at 11:50 AM

    Indeed. And don't you think it odd that I can assist at surgical operations and study medical tomes and photography without flinching and yet this turns my stomach? Yet more proof that I am officially weird!

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