Revealing Bodies

This innovative exhibition mixed artworks, objects, images, and interactive science exhibits in thought-provoking juxtapositions that blurred the boundaries between scientific accuracy and artistic fantasy. It also included extraordinary objects, such as this anatomical wax model from Museo Zoologia 'La Specola' in Florence, Italy. (photo © Exploratorium)

With its edgy theme, its unusual development process, and its use of more traditional museum display techniques, the exhibition was a lightning rod for professional and cultural tensions among staff at the Exploratorium. (photo © Exploratorium)

Some management staff insisted that the provocative imagery was inappropriate for a family audience, while some on the exhibition team felt that management interventions in object and image selection were serious acts of censorship. (photo © Exploratorium)

Much of the staff concern centered around traditional museum display techniques that incorporated "passive" objects on pedestals, images under glass, and gallery-like walls that contained the exhibition. It was not in keeping with the highly interactive and open nature of the rest of the space. Visitors, on the other hand, were actively engaged. Tracking and timing studies showed that they stayed longer in this exhibition than in the previous five temporary exhibitions hosted at the Exploratorium. (photo © Exploratorium)

The exhibition ignited the imagination, as much as it stirred emotions and provoked debate. This image, taken by staff photographer Amy Snyder, captures the elegant effects of "Project Your Insides," one of the interactive exhibits created specifically for the project. (photo © Exploratorium)