The Shroud of Turin
As we read from my earlier research, 'The Guardian, Christian relics on display', the shroud of Turin is supposedly the burial shroud of Christ showing an impression of his face; this was discredited as a medieval forgery. I wanted to explore this relic further as the 'forgery' seems to have been far too technical for a medieval man; the shroud appears to be a fairly technical photo negative. The documentary is a fascinating look at some researchers attempts to 3-dimensionalise the image of christs face (this documentary is a rather long 1h27m, so I will sum up the information below).
- Ray Downings team of researchers were on a mission to extract information from the shroud of Turin in order to produce the first 3D image of Christ.
- The shroud of Turin was carbon dated as being only 700 years old which would suggest that it is a forgery; as Christ was resurected in the 33AD.
- The shroud was considered worthy of veneration (Christian significance) but it is still inconclusive as to whether the shroud is authentic or a fake. The shroud itself seems to hold 'negative information' as if a photographic negative has been created; this would be far too advanced for medieval times.
- The Nostics/Heritons (a wiped out form of Christianity) believed that humans cannot see the world in its true 3 dimensions; they suggest that there is an invisible universe. This could correspond with the shroud as it appears to have a hidden 3rd dimension inside due to the distorted contours in the flat cloth; like a hologram? Perhaps the shroud is a metaphor for the universe as heaven is also a hidden universe.
- The 3D negative is similar to that of a mould.
- Only the top microfiber has colour on it; this eliminates the possibility of a pigment paint or stain.
- The only explanation that the Ray Downings team touched upon was the possibility that the marks were a result of blood and radiation. Could Christ really have been glowing as he was resurected? Did the glowing create a photographic negative?
Below I have made a timeline of these findings:
How can this correspond to my project?
The idea that the image in the shroud was created by the body of Christ glowing, is a rather interesting idea. Perhaps I can experiment with lights beneath cloth? I could make my own forgery of the shroud and light it in a way that would have been impossible at the time; without a miracle of course. I could have an ethereal glow and try and recreate the resurrection in a modern way perhaps?
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