Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2012)
4% e Clackamas Print aced@clackamas.edu Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012 Artffàulture ‘Body Worlds’ horrifies and captivates By Joshua Dillen Associate News Editor A grotesquely powerful to u r o f beau ty, O M S I’s latest surreal expression o f the h um an form , G u n th er V on H agens ‘Body W orlds and the Brain is a vividly real and m ind, bending exhibit. Body W onds is an enlightening journey o f the hum an body th a t will enthrall and develop the m in d as you witness the in- your-face expansion o f several figures and the incredible com plexity o f h um an physical form . Tastefully displayed, all the specimens evoke curious em otions. M y first im pression was alm ost “too m uch inform ation, b u t it quickly lost the shock value an d ! çontinuèd th e journey w ith awe and enthusiasm . A dult price is $25, .and the parking fee is $3. C hildren ages three through 14 get in for $17. S tudent (fourteen and older w ith stu d ent identification) and senior price is $20. T h e experience will give you a new per spective o f your ow n body and those around you. I certainly have looked at m yself dif ferently after enjoying the exhibit last week. W hether you are studying anatom y or don’t even have an interest in w hat th e m o st in ti m ate parts o f the body look like, I urge you to see the exhibit before it leaves Portland in early M arch. D on’t miss this w onderful thought and em otion evoking example o f life frozen in action, oh yeah — w ith the skin peeled off. I th o u g h t a microscope in biology class was cool, b u t plastination blows th at kind o f observation away. T h e process literally turns a body (or a slice, section o r p ortion thereof) in to a plastic replica o f itself. O nce com plete, depending on the particular process used, it results in a spectacular and m in d bend ing (literally) 3D view o f all the details o f a Different organs and sections o f the body are processed separately and reassembled in varying1 configurations to give visitors a plethora o f paths into the inner realms o f the h um an body. Bones are w hite and muscles are clearly defined. Nerves and blood vessels are distinctly revealed in their respective net works in the body. T he huge collection is o f plastinated bod ies is arranged in various configurations to highlight different features th at have been revealed by the process. All o f the bodies are •donated b y people w ho w ant their remains to furtherscience. T h e displays are an incredible spectacle o f nature revealed, from a tiny fetal skull th a t first-rem inded m e o f a South Am erican shrunken head, w hich was strangely cute, to views o f organs in various states o f disease. T h e examples o f cigarette blackened lung? had a som ber effect on me, as did the inge nious placem ent o f a receptacle to ditch your cigarette pack, next to a sign th at encouraged visitors to do so. T here was also a list o f the im m ediate an d cum ulative benefits to your body from giving u p the dang cancer sticks. Examples o f th e fatty plaques th a t develop inside arteries and the heart were enough to m ake m e seriously th in k about becom ing vegan. N eed I describe the liver display? I should have visited here before the N ew Year! T h e example o f the brain and nervous sys tem is a ghostlike, alm ost alien display th at was one o f m y favorites. T h e plastination o f .a giraffe can only be described as “W O W .” I can’t even im agine how they got th at huge naked anim al inside or even able to hold itself up. A nd just like the h u m an specimens, he was anatom ically correct. Several- examples o f genitalia and repro ductive organs are pretty m uch unavoidable to see. You m ay w ant to th in k about that w hen bringing your children. You W ILL be asked lots o f questions. Especially striking were the circulatory system displays. T h e blood vessels o f a hum an arm and lungs were next to the com plete vascular netw ork o f a lam b and rooster; all rendered in a scarlet brilliance. A teen skateboarder, soccer player and tw o ice skat ers all posed in their respective activities were all very interesting displays. Also very cool were w hat I call the “cyborgdisplays.” These were the bodies o f people w ho had knee and hip replacem ents, o r other shiny pieces o f stainless ste elin their bodies w hen they died. All o f th e exhibits are num bered to use the audio device th at will cost you an extra $4. T h e recordings were very inform ative as well as the signage next to each o f the specimens. T h e whole bo d y displays have detailed dia grams th at describe the different organs 'and features shown. Poignant quotes from great thinkers o f the w orld are inscribed on huge pictures o f people in various landscapes to add to the pow er o f the overall experience. All in all, I have to say this has been a greatly enjoyable an d educational experience and very w orth o f the trip. T h e exhibit runs from 9:30 a.m . to 5:30 p.m . Sunday through T hursday and 9:30 a.m . to 9:00 p.m . Friday and Saturday. T he ticket price includes general adm ission to the other O M S I exhibits. For m ore inform ation, call 503-797- 4661. Internet users can visit www.omsi. com or ww w.bqdyw orlds.com . . A plasticized hum an body imitates a statue. A ll the bodies in the exhibit were donated to science. Get to O M S I before M arch to see this unique exhibit! Trails End Saloon [1 3 2 0 M ain St. Oregon City 503-656-3031 P lu e ® T W ednesdays^ le ra P v Thursdays v N W & Saturdays Blues Bar and Grill n’s Best Blues Venue Cascade Blues Association Theater dusts off old costumes in preparation for directors final fundraiser By Isaac Soper Arts & Culture Editor The practice schedule is intense; actors rush to relearn their lines from 10 years ago. Costumes are taken from the archives and repaired if necessary; others that are too fa fg o n e a re remade. Cast and crew are in a flurry to prepare for the one-night-only performance of, “The Travis N odurft acts as John Worthington a n d Jayson Shanafelt as Algernon M oncriejf in a production o f “The Importance o f Being Earnest. ” Importance of Being Earnest.” Clackamas Repertory Theater is starting its eighth sea son this year. At the beginning of every season, CRT puts on a fundraiser, which in this case is a one-night-only show taken from the 2002 season. The preparation for the fundraiser is very fast-paced; according to Theater Instructor and Director, David Smith-English, the whole production takes only two weeks to arrange. “It’s about a 90-page script and we were within 17 pages after five rehearsals. It’s a quick process,” said Smith-English. “These guys are really good and really quick. They come in knowing all o f their lines and'some of them have done the show before.” Chris W hitten, set and lights designer and tech theater instructor, is in the process o f creating the set for “Earnest” so that it can be used for the fundraiser and the upcoming student production o f “The Crucible.” Though the lights aren’t finished for the upcoming production, W hitten said that particularly in Act II, “lighting can help [tell] the story. W hitten has worked with Smith-English in the theater department since 1996. “It is a very flexible and very clever way that he’s created the set,” said Smith-English. The fundraiser is meant to bring in money for CRT’s upcoming season, which consists o f three productions that will be revealed on the night o f the fundraiser. “[It will bring in] a nice chunk o f money, but it’s nowhere near what it costs for a season, because everybody gets paid at Clackamas Rep.; we bring in professional actors from all over the place,” said Smith-English, “There’s a lot o f money involved, so this is just a small portion, but it’s a nice portion.” All of the actors and theater techs in CRT are profes sionals, meaning that they are paid for their efforts; it is an extension o f the college program that provides jobs that pay from approximately $500-$2,100, according to Smith- English. Alva Bradford, has been the costume designer for the theater department since 1993. She has been working hard with her staff to prepare all o f the costumes for the upcom ing show. “Several [costumes] are from 10 years ago — mainly the women’s,” said Bradford. O n the CRT Facebook page, they have taken old cos tumes out o f the archives and spoofed many musicals and stage productions to tease their followers. O f these false productions, they have included.such productions as “Cats” and “Grease.” The fundraiser will take place on Saturday, Feb., 4. and to the happiness o f Smith-English, it is currendy sold out. “We [will] have a party after the show, we also announce our season, which has been a secret up to this point and then people can start buying season tickets right after that.” Season tickets for the upcoming season cost $36 for youth (aged 26 and under).
