Monday Mashups: From Gore to Glamour

Planning a fundraiser near Halloween but want to steer clear of the stereotypical ghoulish decor? We've got an interesting theme for you. Inspired by the Body Worlds: Pulse exhibit, this event takes you on a journey through the human anatomy in what at first glance may seem gory but at a closer look is actually quite glamorous. Perfect for an upscale party that takes place around the spookiest day of the year. Check it out!

Every year in Los Angeles, the California Science Center hosts its annual Discovery Ball with an all-encompassing theme that draws from the museum’s newest exhibit. This year, that format set the stage for a gala with an anatomical look and feel. The museum’s event services department headed up the production and design for the 19th annual Discovery Ball, which featured the premiere of the new summer exhibit, “Body Worlds: Pulse.”

About 800 guests started out the evening of May 19 at a nervous system-theme cocktail party amid Lucent Dossier's living plastinates (preserved bodies); these fully anatomically correct, body-painted models performed poses similar to those found in the exhibit. Aerialists and contortionists also performed above and in the reflection pool, meant as demonstrations of the complexity and beauty of the human body, under a balloon sculpture installation that resembled red blood cells. Can you imagine walking into a room and seeing these sites? Totally spooky in more of a getting caught-off-guard way!

After cocktails, guests were invited to use their locomotive systems to propel themselves through the City of L.A.’s historic rose garden, while a dozen performers from the Debbie Allen Dance Academy led the way to dinner. Aptly themed around the digestive system, dinner within the Science Center’s Samuel Oschin Pavilion (which famously features the space shuttle Endeavour) offered short ribs and anatomically correct chocolates as mignardises. Linens were meant as eerie resemblances to muscle tissue samples under a microscope. They definitely thought of everything!

After dinner, guests were invited to work their circulatory systems at an after-party, which included a dessert buffet with anatomically inspired offerings, while a custom-made pulsing heart hung overhead. The party also featured anatomically correct heart-shape popsicles and a giant tabletop version of the game “Operation.” A haunting way to raise money but this function definitely exceeded attendees' expectations!

The event surpassed its fund-raising goal for science camp scholarships: $230,000 and overall, took in about $1.4 million. What a way to devour the details of a hallow's eve fundraiser without getting too ghoulishly carried away. Let us know how you tackle spook factors at celebrations near the 31st (without buying every decoration from the party store) in the comments section below. We'd love to hear your ideas!