Hagen's show scrapped

11 April 2012
The Weekender

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Councillors today scuppered plans for a macabre Edinburgh Festival exhibition featuring skinless bodies of children.

Edinburgh City Council refused to approve the show by controversial German Professor Gunther von Hagens in one of the city's major public parks.

The anatomy expert has been trying to find somewhere in Edinburgh to display the skinless preserved bodies of a dead infant and three adults.

A spokeswoman said: "The City of Edinburgh Council has not approved the application to hold the Body Works Exhibition in Princes Street Garden.

"For much of the year, but particularly during summer and the Fringe and festival period, the gardens offer a range of activities for children and people of all ages to enjoy, and allow them to relax in tranquil surroundings.

"The proposed exhibition has the potential to give offence to some visitors. Therefore we believe it is not appropriate to grant approval for this exhibition to be staged in the gardens."

Professor von Hagens has sparked outrage across the world with his displays of plastinated human bodies - but they have also proved very popular.

His requests to stage his Body Worlds show in the Scottish capital later this week have already been turned down by several institutions.

He had hoped it would coincide with the opening at the Fringe of a musical black comedy, Corpus, which was inspired by the German's gory work.

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