Diego Vidart, a documentary photographer, professor researcher the Catholic University of Uruguay, defended his thesis on June 2 at the Alumni Building in Madrid. His thesis was supervised by Carlos Chocarro, a professor at the School of Architecture the University of Navarra, and Javier Ortiz-Echagüe Trujillano, a professor of art history at Rey Juan Carlos University.
Under the degree scroll Based on Real Events: The Photographic Era of the Holy Shroud," his thesis is part of the Applied Creativity doctoral program. Diego Vidart investigates how, between 1898 and 1978, photography supplanted the physical relic to become the central focus of devotion and scientific analysis.
1. What is a thesis
The story begins in 1898, when the Italian lawyer and amateur photographer Secondo Pia discovered that the photographic negative of the Shroud revealed a positive image of a face—one that had previously been invisible to the naked eye—paving the way for research into the photosensitivity of blood.
Starting from this milestone, Vidart traces a genealogy that connects early theories of vision with the consolidation of the modern photographic gaze. Through a mapping of controversies, the author examines both the heated scientific debates in Europe (1898–1939) and the solitary, peripheral research Juan Chabalgoity in Uruguay (1940–1978).
“I examine how technical mediation brought together empirical science and religion within a framework of mutual validation through reproducible images to study an object that, paradoxically, remained perpetually absent,” he explains.
2. How did the theme come about? How did you discover Secondo Pia?
The idea came up during a conversation with a classmate at the Catholic University of Uruguay, who introduced me to Juan Chabalgoity, a Uruguayan photographer who had developed a theory about the photosensitivity of blood.
Based on that interest, I discovered a book that explored that theory regarding the photosensitivity of blood as it relates to the Shroud of Turin, featuring photographs taken by Secondo Pía.
3. How would you describe the research process research the past few years?
It consists of two methodologies: one applied to the analysis of the case study, and the other consisting of my creative process. My original work is titled “cuarto de derrota” (the space on a ship where the captain keeps all his instruments, all his navigation charts, and lighthouse charts, and where he essentially charts the course of his voyage. There, he also modifies the voyage log based on various obstacles and unforeseen events).
Using the metaphor of life as a “risky voyage”—a concept coined by the German philosopher Hans Blumenberg— work idea of setting a course and seeing how I navigate this ever-changing landscape. And, as I face each new obstacle, I strive to redefine my path while always goal the same goal stay the course.
4. What is the most important lesson you’ve learned?
As an artist with a background in the creative world, the most valuable lesson I’ve learned has been to delve into the field of research . I’ve also explored theological concepts, such as the relationship between science and religion, and between philosophy and science.
5. What draws you to photography?
Everything connects me to photography; that's where I come from. I completed postgraduate program documentary photography in the United Kingdom, and my degree program on the image, with a strong focus on photography.
Beyond simply producing images, I am currently focused on questioning and critically examining photography.
6. What does a thesis Applied Creativity entail?
The Applied Creativity program has given me freedom from day one. The idea of being able to explore the fringes of academia while remaining within its bounds—of having the creative freedom to express myself through writing, methodology, and concept—has allowed me to shed light on radically different epistemological fields and bring them together in this thesis
The program serves as an overarching framework, with dialogue between academia and the creative process always at the forefront. It’s important to remember that all research is, in itself, a major work that allows for creative freedom—the ability to see what others cannot. Throughout this process, Carlos Chocarro, director , has been instrumental in guiding me along the way.
7. How would you describe the role of the camera as an instrument of divine revelation?
There is an attempt to position this technical and technological device—like the camera obscura, which allows for the recording of an image within it and is, in turn, directly and indirectly linked to the concept of divine revelation—along with the entire procedure it entails, as a potential theological mediation from the moment Secondo Pía confronts that epiphany of the developed image, of the Holy Shroud. This very particular instrument plays a role that is both analogical and metaphorical.
