At-Bristol launches new exhibition: ‘All About Us’
10 March 2011
The exhibit will be unveiled at a launch event tonight by the presenter of Channel 4's 'Embarrassing Bodies' TV show, Dr Pixie McKenna, before opening to the public on Friday at the beginning of National Science and Engineering Week.
The new £1.5 million All About Us exhibition features over 50 interactive exhibits based around the themes Cardiovascular, Reproduction, Locomotion, Senses, Digestion, DNA and Brains.
All of the interactive displays are designed to give a hands-on insight into how the body works. Other exhibits include 'Sound Bite', where visitors can listen to music through the vibrations of bones in their jaw by biting down on a plastic straw. 'Digestive Run' enables you to trace the passage of food through the body to the toilet by feeding a skeleton, and 'Vein Viewer' allows you to see the veins in your own hands under near-infrared light.
Clare Matterson, Director of Medical Humanities & Engagement at the Wellcome Trust, said: "We hope this new exhibition will make people look at their bodies with fresh eyes, and gain some insight to how scientists are trying to understand what is going on in there."
The Real Brain will sit at the top of a large tank, engraved with the image of a person on one side and the skeleton and central nervous system on the other, as one of the key exhibits within the Brains zone.
The exhibit has been inspected and approved by the Human Tissue Authority, as is required for the display of any human material, to confirm that the organ has been treated with the respect and dignity it deserves. In keeping with these guidelines, the anonymous donor gave full consent for their brain to be put on public display before passing away.
Dan Bird, Exhibitions Director for At-Bristol, said: "We have given great consideration to how to display the brain so that we can provide a safe environment for our visitors to experience it."
Goéry Delacôte, Chief Executive Officer for At-Bristol, added: "There is nothing more interesting than to see something for real.As a science centre, it's our role to bring the real world, and especially that not easy to see, to the attention of our visitors."
The launch of All About Us takes place ahead of Brain Awareness Week, which will run 14-20 March 2011. Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is a global campaign to increase public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research.Every March, BAW unites the efforts of organisations worldwide in a week-long celebration of the brain. In addition to the All About Us brain exhibits, At-Bristol's Live Science Team will also be carrying out activities during the week to further engage visitors.
All About Us will officially open to the general public on Friday 11 March.The exhibition was funded by a Wellcome Trust Capital Award.
For more information on At-Bristol's latest exhibitions and events, including the new All About Us experience, see www.at-bristol.org.uk or call Bookings on 0845 345 1235.
Image: Listen to music through your head bones with Soundbite in At-Bristol's latest exhibition, All About Us. Credit: At-Bristol.
