Bond Goes Plastic
October 27, 2006
Von Hagens has never shied from publicity, be it good or bad, and his latest project, the "Plastinarium" in the town of Guben, has raised hackles again.
When the four-story exhibit hall opens in three weeks, visitors will be able to see plastinated cadavers in various states of dissection made up to resemble Daniel Craig and others in a poker-playing scene from the upcoming Bond flick "Casino Royale."
The Protestant church in Germany has protested the scene.
"Human bodies are being turned into commodities, prepared on the factory line," local pastor Michael Domke said.
Once open, the "Plastinarium" will be able to accommodate up to 5,000 people daily and droves of visitors are expected, especially given the popularity of von Hagens' "Body Worlds" exhibition, which featured plastinated humans and animals and drew big crowds of fans and detractors wherever it went.
While the church and some others have a problem with von Hagens' treatment of the dead and the sometimes questionable origins of his plastinated bodies, most of the residents of Guben, in the southern part of the state of Brandenburg near the Polish border, are happy that the unusual attraction is setting up in their town.
The town of 23,000 has an unemployment rate of around 25 percent.
"We need jobs here," said retiree Erhard Geller.
Helmut Moelle, another older resident of the town, added: "It would be nice if critics would concern themselves as much with the living as they are with the dead."