Content versus environment

Went to the BodyWorlds exhibit at the LA ScienCenter the day before Easter. Not sure if that would be ironic, poetic, neither or both, depending on your religious bent. The upshot is that Gunther von Hagens’ plasitnates are amazing, informative, captivating and not for the squeamish. The experience is well-worth the price of admission for artists, physicians, parents, humanists and anyone fascinated by what we are underneath. The poses and what is chosen to remain and what is taken away are all elements of the creativity behind the show.

But, one question haunted me throughout the show: Considering all the cost and effort to create and organize the show, why are all these astounding pieces displayed in areas made of Duvetyn draped over truss, with the only adornment being posters on thin Sintra badly aligned, lit and hung? Obviously the content should not be overshadowed by its surroundings. But, the people in the show, the people who worked so hard on the people in the show, and the people seeing the show all deserve better. Bringing the environment to the level of the content seems like a no-brainer. Pun intended.