Death at the Museum: Anatomical Museums and the Public Eye

Join us in lifting the veil on taboos surrounding death and the display of the human body by creating new pathways for the dissemination of anatomical knowledge to a wider audience. 

Hidden behind closed doors at the Laboratoriesenteret at St. Olav’s Hospital, NTNU’s anatomical collection is exclusively accessible to medical students and practitioners due to ethical and legal considerations. This interdisciplinary course offers students from diverse academic backgrounds access, to engage with the collection as the foundation for our discourse.

In this village, you will collaborate in teams to create innovative solutions for transforming this “secret” anatomical collection into an open, accessible, and inclusive hub of functional knowledge. Possible topics to engage with during this course include:

Anatomical Museums and Ethics: Explore the historical context of anatomical museums and the ethical dilemmas surrounding public access to preserved human bodies. Analyse existing ethical frameworks and regulations governing anatomical collections.

Accessibility and Education: Investigate inclusive pedagogical strategies for disseminating anatomical knowledge to diverse audiences ranging from high school students and the general public to medical students and researchers at master, PhD, and Post-Doc level. 

Contemporary Museology and Anatomical Knowledge: Investigate modern approaches to museology and their application to anatomical collections. Discuss the intersection of art, science, and education in anatomical exhibitions.

Death, Culture, and Display: Examine cultural attitudes toward death, the body, and the ethics of displaying human remains. Explore the role of anatomical museums in shaping societal perceptions of the human body.

Digitization and Virtual Accessibility: Explore the use of digital technologies, such as 3D scanning and virtual reality, in making anatomical collections accessible without physical display. Discuss the advantages and limitations of digitization for anatomical education.

One Health: Engage the comparative anatomy collection to address the environmental crisis though topics related to the interaction between environmental – and human health. Inspire dialogue, raise awareness, and catalyse action towards a more sustainable future.

Relating to the anatomical collection, each team will develop an idea, framework or prototype for an archive of artefacts, brand guide, brochure, exhibition, case-study library, cataloguing system, collection plan, curatorial strategy, digital solution, ethical handbook, interior design, manifesto, online presence, poster series, video tour, workshop, or… your only limitation is your imagination…. and the scope of your combined competencies.  

Relevant competency

Students from all disciplines are welcome. Competencies in the following fields could be particularly relevant:

 Art, Architecture and Design • Biology and Conservation • Engineering and Technology • Humanities • Medicine and Healthcare • Museology and Curation • Pedagogy • Social Sciences

About the village

The first week of this course is particularly intensive. Using the Design Sprint framework (https://www.thesprintbook.com/the-design-sprint) developed by Jake Knapp from Google Ventures, you will be guided through various brainstorming techniques to land a project idea in only 5 days. In this start-up phase, we will also invite experts to share their insights and experiences in the fields of anatomical pedagogy, specimen production, exhibition and curation, ethics around the display of human remains, medical applications of new media tools and more.

Having decided on a project direction, you will spend the next two weeks developing and testing a prototype. At various intersections along the course, teams will present their progress to the collective and engage in constructive critique to help refine their projects further. 

The village will conclude with a project presentation to peers, stakeholders, and experts (availability pending). You will then have a week post-course to prepare an accompanying project report, as well as a reflexive process report on the interdisciplinary collaboration encountered through the course work.

Experts in Teamwork is a programme focused on learning-by-doing. While the course revolves around the village subject, the main goal is in the hidden curriculum: Teamwork. By the end of EiT, we hope to have equipped you with knowledge around group work processes by providing a simulated experience of interdisciplinary teamwork, preparing you for future cooperative projects.

PLEASE NOTE

1. Throughout this course, we request that you maintain respect for the donors and the sanctity of the human body.
2. As this is an English village, we expect that all communication in the village and your teams to be conducted in English as a courtesy to other village members. We appreciate your willingness to be inclusive in your conduct.

LINKS to get you thinking

California ScienCenter. (2004). “Body Worlds: An Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies. Summary of Ethical Review, Retrieved 19/09/2023.
https://www.ntnu.no/documents/10476/1272942827/PressKit_EthicReview_XL_E.pdf/9e7e7d64-6531-434d-b294-332cd291dc67

California ScienCenter. (2017). “Gunther von Hagens’ Body Worlds: Pulse”. Summary of Ethical Review Update 2016/2017. Retrieved 19/09/2023.
https://www.ntnu.no/documents/10476/1272942827/PressKit_EthicReview_XL_E.pdf/9e7e7d64-6531-434d-b294-332cd291dc67

ICOM. (2018). “Code of Ethics for Museums”. Retrieved 19/09/2023.
https://icom.museum/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ICOM-code-En-web.pdf

ICOM. (2018). “Code of Ethics for Natural History Museums”. Retrieved 19/09/2023.
https://icom.museum/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/nathcode_ethics_en.pdf

Marreez Y. M. A-H., Willems L.N. A., Wells M.R. (2010). “The role of medical museums in contemporary medical education”. Retrieved 19/09/2023.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.168

Pratt Institute. (2018). “Beyond Digitization: Planning for Open Access Collections”. Retrieved 19/09/2023.
Beyond Digitization: Planning for Open Access Collections | by Megan Paqua | Museums and Digital Culture - Pratt Institute (prattsi.org)

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