Dallas, TX, USA (July 29, 2013) — ANIMAL INSIDE OUT, a BODY WORLDS Production, will open to the public Sept. 22, 2013, for a limited engagement at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. The museum’s first-ever traveling exhibition will be installed in the Jan and Trevor Rees-Jones Exhibition Hall, a 7,500 square foot, leading-edge exhibition space located on the Museum’s lower level.
“The Perot Museum is thrilled that our very first traveling exhibition is ANIMAL INSIDE OUT, developed by Dr. Gunther von Hagens, the inventor of Plastination and creator of the trailblazing BODY WORLDS exhibitions, and curator Dr. Angelina Whalley, creative and conceptual designer for BODY WORLDS,” said Nicole G. Small, CEO of the Perot Museum. “We think visitors are going to be wowed by what they see.”
ANIMAL INSIDE OUT will give visitors a unique opportunity to “travel on an anatomical safari” and view animals from a rarely seen perspective, exploring the skeletons, muscles, organs, circulatory systems and more. Stripping away nature’s flesh to the bare bones, ANIMAL INSIDE OUT brings together approximately 100 plastinate and capillary animal specimens, displaying the intricate biology and physiology of some of the world’s most spectacular creatures. After a tour of venerable museums in Vienna, London and other historic venues in Europe, ANIMAL INSIDE OUT made its U.S. debut at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. The Perot Museum will be the second stop on the limited U.S. tour.
This is the second time a major BODY WORLDS exhibition has come to Dallas. In 2006-2007, the Museum of Nature & Science in Fair Park hosted “BODY WORLDS, The Original Exhibition of Real Human Bodies,” which attracted more than 450,000 visitors.
Small adds that since the December 1 opening of the Perot Museum the Jan and Trevor Rees-Jones Exhibition Hall has already hosted two temporary exhibitions curated by the Perot Museum. First, the Museum debuted with the Building the Building exhibition, which was on display through April, and, currently on display for the summer, is Recycle Reef, which closesAug. 25.
“We built this big black box space — equipped with the latest technology to control light, temperature and humidity — to expand and build upon the science we offer daily in our 11 exhibit halls and through our educational programming,” said Small. “The Jan and Trevor Rees-Jones Exhibition Hallextends that learning even further – and allows us to bring major exhibitions to our own backyard. Now thousands of visitors — who might not be able to travel to London, Chicago and other cities – can experience these outstanding exhibitions right here in Dallas.”
At ANIMAL INSIDE OUT, from goats to giraffes and octopuses to ostriches, visitors will go more than skin deep to see the body make up of some of the world’s most impressive animals. Highlights of the exhibition include standing up close to the world’s tallest mammal, a giraffe, that towers over guests; a bull, with its heart five times the size of a human’s; a reindeer, with its hooves that adapt to the changing seasons; and the rarely seen giant squid, with its huge eyes, designed for picking up light in the ocean depths.
“Instead of specimens as skeletons or taxidermies, Museum visitors are going to experience animals in a whole new way,” said Steve Hinkley, the Perot Museum’s vice president of programs.
Hinkley adds that the process of Plastination, which removes the fluids from the body and replaces them with plastics that harden, allows guests to see the most incredible details of the body.
The exhibition reveals the different ways animals have evolved and adapted their anatomy and physiology according to where they live. Dr. von Hagens says the exhibition is intended to recognize the wonder and traits of animals: “It is critical that we increase our understanding of animals in the wild, not only for their preservation, but also for our own.”
Dr. Whalley adds that ANIMAL INSIDE OUT shows animal anatomy with far more detail than any textbook.
“It’s fascinating to see the anatomical similarities between different animal groups, including humans,” said Dr. Whalley. “Animals are skin, flesh and bone, just like humans.”
ANIMAL INSIDE OUT explores skeletal foundations; muscles, tendons and ligaments; the internal circuit of the nervous system; the reproductive process; breathing and eating; and wildlife conservation and preservation.
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