‘Real Bodies’ exhibit celebrates grand opening at Bally’s on Wednesday
There’s incredible fascination with the complex makeup of our human bodies, so much so that a second exhibition of them has its grand opening Wednesday. It’s a totally different kind of entertainment attraction for the Strip, although there is a similarity with our topless cabaret burlesque shows.
Thousands of visitors have already toured the extraordinary BODIES: THE EXHIBIT at The Luxor in recent years, but now comes a rival: REAL BODIES opens at Bally’s, and those who have seen the sneak preview are already abuzz about the human specimens.
It has been curated by Tom Zaller, founder, president and CEO of Imagine Exhibitions Inc. Tom is a friend from the time he presented the amazing Leonardo da Vinci exhibition that met with great success at The Venetian from students, historians, tourists, residents and the curious.
Now he’s betting that REAL BODIES will have the same success. I put four key questions to Tom:
What makes REAL BODIES different from other exhibitions?
Everything! Mostly I think it is because we are asking you to go to a deeper level. It is thoughtful and inspiring, not purely factual and clinical. Regarding the specimens, the dissection is, in my opinion, the best in the world, and the positioning of the specimens are dynamic and connect you to the action or point being illustrated.
I have been a part of and seen many, many anatomical exhibitions, and we just broke the mold.
This show is a hit! It is loaded with full-body specimens, as well as individual organs. It is dense, but digestible. It is a wow!
Tell me about the emotional and cultural significance of the exhibition.
This experience, if you allow it, has the ability to take you to a deeper place. We take you back in time to Egypt and Greece, we talk about human sacrifice, we take you around the world and talk about other cultures.
We remind you that even though we are all made up of the same type of cells and physiology, how we approach or react to health issues or aging or love or birth or death are all a product of your environment and culture. It is powerful.
In your opinion, what are some of the key attractions of this exhibition?
No. 1 will always be the ability to see real human specimens preserved in a safe, clean and approachable way, hence the reason we called it REAL BODIES at Bally’s. Next I think would be the re-creations of the various settings like the anatomist study or the ossuary.
These rooms and re-creations assist in providing that narrative storyline that we strive for in all of our exhibitions. And of course the art installations by local Las Vegas artists and overall scenic environments.
Art installations by local artists? What was the thought process for including those?
It is just such a perfect fit. The human body is an incredible example of art and science coming together seamlessly, so we saw this as an opportunity to connect and use art as another component. We commissioned six sculptural pieces that capture the spirit of each room, and we wanted to use local artists to help support this community. They inspire us.
I would like to point out Billy Beddow in particular who created four pieces for us and on top of that was there for us on everything we needed. In our Love gallery where we discuss the reproductive specimens, we wanted to create a wall of locks just like the love bridge in Paris. Billy took this idea and turned it into a masterpiece.
In our Breathe gallery, I wanted a huge wall of fans so you feel the air around you, and in our Hunger gallery, I wanted you to remember where we came from and the food you eat and what it’s like to share a meal. These installations support all of this, and I hope in the future that we continue to meet more local artists who can build upon this foundation.
Seeing is believing, so come to REAL BODIES at Bally’s and experience the difference.