My children, as teenagers, are in that limbo between enjoying exhibitions for kids and exhibitions for adults.
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Ironically, when you’re a “well-established” adult like yours truly, you know those two things aren’t always mutually exclusive, in the same way Pixar films aren’t just for kids.
But, in the teen limbo, they seem to be.
I offered them a chance to see Body Worlds: The Anatomy of Happiness exhibition that’s currently showing at The District in Docklands, explaining how it explores how our physiology plays a part in our emotions.
It piqued their interest briefly, but I felt it would be unfair not to disclose that the displays of entire bodies, skeletons, nervous systems, brains, lungs and several other body parts and organs were real human specimens, before locking in tickets.
Sadly, once they heard me mumble that — perhaps purposely almost under my breath — all three of them immediately shut down the invitation with enthusiastic “Eeew” nopes.
There’s no point trying to convince them after that kind of definitive dismissal.
So, I went to that exhibition with friends instead.
While it was my idea to go, and while I was jaw-droppingly intrigued and learned many, many things, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find myself queasy from time to time while browsing the exhibits when the reality that what I was looking at had once been living hit me momentarily.
Recently, some surgeons I interviewed showed me videos of a liver surgery they performed.
I coped because it was fascinating and interesting, and probably because I had the privilege of knowing the surgery was a success and the patient was doing well.
But at this exhibition, my mind strayed too far off path as I wondered who the people had been, what kind of lives they lived, were they male or female, old or young, whether their deaths were expected or a shock to their loved ones.
I wondered what the permission form looked like when they signed on the dotted line to have their remains donated to … science? Art?
This exhibition is certainly a combination of both and it’s still inviting donations on its website for anyone interested.
The man and woman posed to perform heterosexual intercourse for eternity in an exhibit that was forbidden from being photographed; did they know they know their bodies would still be making love post-life?
Some might reckon that’s a best-case scenario, but my back was sore just pondering it, to be honest.
My biggest takeaway from this fascinating exhibition was learning that even fake smiling and fake laughter can release healing hormones that contribute to overall good health.
So, I walked away with an awkward replica of a smile on my face and tried to maintain it for the rest of the day, but my jaw hurt too much after a while, so I rested it before finding an exhibition that produced a genuine smile.
Balloon Story was definitely aimed at kids, so I took my ‘eewing’ teenagers to this one without giving them a chance to say ‘eeww’ to it.
Mind you, when they passed through balloon curtains between sections that had more greasy fingerprints on them than it would have been possible to count, I did hear a little more ‘eewing’.
Despite that, a couple of them braved the ball pit in the centre of this exhibition that was staged at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
So did I.
Writing this three days later and not yet hospitalised, I think we escaped illness in the germ soup.
We were impressed and charmed by these giant whimsical balloon sculptures.
Thirty-five balloon artists — consisting of 21 international and 14 Australian artists — transformed more than 400,000 biodegradable balloons into a series of giant sculptures in nine days.
Themes included international landmarks, under the sea, the Antarctic, space travel and the jungle.
One room had several set-ups designed for us to pose within Instagrammable frames full of balloons, so, of course, we did.
Soundtracks that matched scenes played in each section as we moved through mazes of inflated iconic entertainers, ground-breaking scientists, trail-blazing explorers.
The kids posed for a photo inside a green and gold Melbourne tram made of, you guessed it, balloons.
Only a few semi-deflated flamingos signalled the exhibition was coming to an end, but considering it had been in place since January, it had held up well.
It finished on the weekend, but its true final hurrah will be on Wednesday night when it goes out with a bang — and thousands more — during a dedicated balloon-popping party.
Regional families might struggle to make the 5.45pm event in the middle of the first week back from school holidays, but there’s still an opportunity to pop down before the exhibition is up, up and away.