Controversial body parts artist unveils exhibits

A German professor whose exhibits of preserved human corpses have caused controversy worldwide has unveiled his latest morbid project.
Gunther von Hagens posed with the bodies, which have been skinned to reveal tendons and bones, at the old city morgue in Edinburgh. The musty, low-lit temporary venue was found after institutions including the city council refused to house the exhibit. He has not found anyone willing to take it on long term.
Prof von Hagens called the press conference to promote Futurehuman, a new TV documentary.
The programme will feature his search for a terminally ill donor to take part in his project to redesign and perfect a dead body and preserve it for posterity.
He defended Body Worlds and his new project against claims that they were freak shows, comparing himself with Renaissance anatomists such as Leonardo da Vinci, who practised the science for educational purposes.
In broken English, Prof von Hagens added: "It's no fun, it's no mockery. It's earnest science."
Of the Futurehuman project, he said it would add positively to the debate on genetic engineering by making people more aware of the flaws of their bodies.
"This person will be a landmark human being," he said.
(Bron)