Not-so-exquisite corpses

NPR commentator Andrei Codrescu recently took in the plastinated corpses at "Bodies... The Exhibition" and found them a bit disconcerting. "Bodies..." is a knock-off of the famous Body Worlds exhibit that's been touring for some time. (Body Worlds is the subject of AJOB's March-April cover package.) And while these exhibits often prompt concerns about dignity, Codrescu bypasses that discussion and instead comments on the depressive effect the corpses have on the viewer. Their lack of life seems to drain something from him, leaving him cold. Codrescu recovers, though, with the help of a different kind of exhibition.
-Greg Dahlmann