In the OC, the Jesus artwork is like a theme park attraction

On the second floor of the cultural center at Christ Cathedral in Orange County, an AI-rendered portrait of Jesus, resting and smiling, fills one side of the room. Breaking a piece of flat bread in two, he passes it to 12 identical grown men who are presented on the four walls around him. On the ground are images of fillings of food – rice meat, vegetables, olives and dips.

AI Jesus says “take and eat.” “This is my body.”

In the middle of the room, real-life spectators seated in 26-wheeled chairs turn their heads back and forth to take part in the grand final supper taking place around them. Already, they have been immersed in the Sea of ​​Galilee while Jesus was walking on water and witnessed his transfiguration on the mountaintop. It was part of what is known as “a museum like no other, where faith and forensic science meet.”

Viewers watch a 360-degree, AI-rendered video depicting the life of Jesus as told in the Bible at the unveiling of the Shroud of Turin experience in Christ Cathedral.

(Allen J. Shebin/Los Angeles Times)

Located five miles from Disneyland on a campus that once housed television executive Robert Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral Ministries, the Shroud of Turin Experience is Orange County’s newest tourist attraction with a Christian twist. The 10,000-square-foot exhibit, which opened to the public last week, uses digital projection, artificial intelligence and special effects to introduce visitors to the life of Jesus as depicted in the Bible with a focus on the mysterious linen burial garment that believers say was wrapped in his body after the crucifixion.

“It’s a little Disney-esque, but we really want you to feel like you’re in these scenes,” said Pat Powers, a financial consultant who helped raise money for the exhibit. “We want the whole experience to be visually more expansive.”

Powered by technological advances and consumer demand for personal communication, unique experiences are reinvigorating the way businesses and organizations connect with new audiences, and the Catholic Church has noted. From the viral success of Van Gogh: The Spectacular Experience arriving in LA in 2021 to 360-degree entertainment in the Las Vegas area, young people in particular are looking for new and dynamic ways to interact with their entertainment. Now, as the Catholic Church tries to connect with a new generation of Christians who may be unfamiliar with the biblical Jesus and the mystery of the Shroud, religious and lay leaders are exploring digitally advanced ways to reach people’s faith.

An interactive screen at the Shroud of Turin Experience allows guests to delve into the details of the Shroud of Turin, a mysterious linen cloth that some believe covered Jesus after his death.

(Allen J. Shebin/Los Angeles Times)

“We want to talk to people the way they’re being talked to today and in a way that they can absorb,” Powers said.

Organizers said the urge to outfit the show with digital bells and whistles came straight from the top. The Diocese of Orange only agreed to sign on to the privately funded project after organizers promised it would offer interactive elements beyond text and images.

“I said no static pictures, too boring,” said Bishop Timothy Fryer, assistant bishop of the diocese. “Posters on the walls don’t do it.”

Now, signs around the 34-acre Christ Cathedral campus where the Diocese of Orange is located advertise the “Shroud of Turin experience” as if it were a summer blockbuster: “Discover the blood, discover the mystery and face the light.”

About 14 feet long and three feet wide, the Shroud of Turin is one of the most scientifically studied and contested religious objects in the world—a holy relic for some. Medieval forgery to others Scarred by burn marks and water stains, the narrow sheet of linen bears hundreds of bloodstains that correspond to the wounds Jesus suffered at the time of his death. Even more mysteriously, it reveals a faint image of a bearded man that some Christians believe provides physical evidence of Jesus’ resurrection. The Catholic Church has not taken an official position on the authenticity of the Shroud, but the organizers of the exhibition are convinced of its divine provenance and hope that others will.

A bronze statue of Jesus on the Shroud of Turin lies in front of a large photo negative image of a face detail.

(Allen J. Shebin/Los Angeles Times)

“Our position is that the Shroud provides proof of the Resurrection, but not proof,” said Nora Creech, a Shroud expert who helped organize the exhibit. “The goal is to lead people and let them go on their own journey.”

Visitors will not be able to see the actual Shroud of Turin. It hasn’t left its longtime home of St. John the Baptist Church in Turin, Italy for centuries. However, with the blessing of the Bishop of Turin, organizers were able to obtain a high-resolution, full-size replica. Doctors at the show will show viewers how to change their iPhone camera settings to create what looks like a photo negative, making it easier to see the shape of the shadow on the fabric.

“Kids always think it’s cool,” Creech said.

The exhibit costs $20 for adults, and organizers say visitors should budget at least 90 minutes to make their way through it. In the first of three immersive rooms, an immersive 360-degree video introduces guests to the story of Jesus’ life from his baptism to the crucifixion – including the Last Supper to Jumbo. At the end of the 20-minute film, a projected stone leads away from a door into a second room designed to look like Jesus’ tomb, complete with a giant figure lying on a stone altar, draped in a white cloth. There, guests watch an 18-minute documentary detailing scientific research on the Shroud before moving into a third “chapel” room where AI-animated video shares biblical stories of seeing Jesus after his death.

Patrons see a large image of Christ on the cross.

(Allen J. Shebin/Los Angeles Times)

The second part of the exhibition is more traditional. Guests can examine the many torture devices reportedly used to torment Jesus, including images of the nails used for the crucifixion, the crown of thorns that adorned his head, and the double-edged blade of the Roman lance that pierced his side. Interactive features include a kiosk that digitally isolates each surface of the shroud so visitors can examine just the bloodstains, just the burn marks or just the shadow image. Those who want a really deep dive into the Shroud can contact Virtual Father Spitzer, director of the Magis Center for Reasoning and Belief and a local expert on the Shroud, to hear pre-recorded answers to questions such as “What evidence suggests that a supernatural cause was necessary to create the image on the Shroud” and “How do neutronists and neutronists interpret it?” Solvent?”

The final room of the exhibition is designed for reflection and includes a life-size bronze statue of Jesus created by the Italian artist Luigi Enzo Matte to the dimensions of the image on the Shroud.

Although there is a clear religious bent to the whole experience, Creech said the exhibit, expected to remain at Christ Cathedral until at least 2030, is designed to share information about the life of Jesus and the Shroud, but it doesn’t necessarily convert anyone.

“I think we can convince people that the shroud is the shroud that covered the physical body of Jesus,” she said. “But Jesus emphasizes the importance of faith. Declaring that Jesus is our Lord and Savior is an act of faith that everyone must take on themselves.”