From Tom: One of the most interesting (and unsung – it was stuck off in a corner and not publicised near enough) exhibits at the Berlin Fascia Research Congress (FRC) November 14 and 15 was the new fascial presentations from the BodyWorlds plastinarium, a few hours south of Berlin in Guben. (News flash: Anatomy Trains will be having an interesting class there soon, stay tuned.)
Here you see a plastinated rendition of the heart pericardium on top of the diaphragm, one of several artefacts to come out of the first year of plastinating fascia. The technical challenges in getting these finished products are many, so there is a high learning curve with the people involved – ATSI grad Gary Carter among then, as well as our own AT teacher and master dissector Lauri Nemetz. The lighting – difficult in this photo – was crucial to seeing the new fascia plastinations in all their glory. Congratulations to all who worked on this project, which will, I am sure, have more successes in the coming years.
The preliminary success is embodied in this photo: If you can get Jean-Claude Guimberteau and Gil Hedley both so fascia-nated that they are set around the piece as if it were an altar. Yes, I was seated there for a while as well.
On to Montreal in 2021. It’s a lot farther distance to take these delicate exhibits, so join us at the pastinarium late next year and let me take you on a tour of the whole process and what it reveals about your whole process.
PC: Stefan Westerback