When you’re looking for Bodies . . . The Exhibition at the South Street Seaport, don’t get confused and wander into the Gap and stare at mannequins. You actually want to go next door. You’ll know you’re in the right building when the smell hits you. It’s like you’re in 7th grade science class, about to dissect a frog. Don’t let that scare you off though; you get used to it.

In fact the same could be said for the whole exhibit: You get used to it. The first room shocks and maybe terrifies you, but by the fifth room all you can think is, “I’m getting kind of hungry”.

That sounds like I didn’t enjoy myself, but actually I loved it. I think Bodies is fascinating, educational and beautiful. It’s the perfect combination of science and art, mixed with gore, to get your adrenaline flowing.

The bodies in question are the result of plastination, a process in which tissue is replaced with liquid silicone rubber. The final product is a human body that looks exactly as if it has been skinned, but will not decompose. Besides the 22 bodies on display there are also 260 individual organs (some of which you can hold!) There is also a room filled entirely with veins. It’s pitch black and filled with display cases of arms, legs, a head; with everything removed, except for the bright red veins. That room alone is worth the price of admission.

However, before you go, there is an ethical matter to address: the way in which the bodies were obtained. They corpses were all unclaimed or unidentified, and while it is common practice for these bodies to be used in medical research, critics are questioning if this counts . . .and how ethical it is to display them in such a way without consent.

Bodies . . . The Exhibition is at the South Street Seaport on the corner of Fulton and Front Street. Tickets are not cheap at $26.50, but if you go before January 30th you can use this 15% off discount.