Talks / Courses

We are committed to education on perspective and the visual dimensions of art, science, and technology. 

Perspective is a highly technical, kaleidoscopic, labyrinthine, and wide-ranging subject that can evade/confuse even the most ardent seeker of knowledge. Our goal is to bring order to the vast field of perspective, and to clarify the diverse range of perspective facts, principles, theories, types, methods, systems, instruments, phenomena, and applications. Ergo, our new perspective category theory can enhance your understanding and real-time comprehension of perspective views/images, enable their efficient capture/creation/use, and expand their application choices.

Perspective is of vital interest to ‘vision-based’ professionals, including artists, photographers, filmmakers, cinematographers, architects, lighting designers, CAD engineers, VR/AR/MR plus digital metaverse content creators, 3-D/CGI/AI modellers, SFX/VFX creators, game designers, live/virtual/hybrid film production specialists.

We produce educational materials on perspective and give talks/lectures worldwide, plus associated courses, for perspectivists. In this way, we support students, researchers and professionals studying, researching or applying perspective methods/systems by supplying learning materials and, if possible, using open dialogue or personal contact.

Knowledge / Education Gap

Perspective is a little-known, poorly understood, and much-misaligned subject.

Even highly educated people hastily assign/limit the subject to a simple graphical technique, for example, linear or parallel perspective. However, perspective is a multi-faceted subject that covers a far wider range of visual phenomena than many realise; and it is also a key to understanding major categories of art/science/technology.

Perspective education has a basic premise: educators must identify the basic facts, methods/systems, types/forms, and applications of perspective. In this respect, we at the PRC have access to more information than is available anywhere else. For example, our Library, Dictionary, Encyclopaedia, and Bibliography of Perspective lists 3,200 perspective terms, 1,200 types/forms of perspective, 500 perspective instruments, and 15,000 perspective titles, thus providing efficient entry into the vast perspective knowledge corpus.

Notably, a dedicated course on perspective is a rare eventuality; the subject is normally taught as a minor part of a course on drawing, painting, architecture, photography/cinema, technical/engineering drawing, applied mathematics, animation, film-making, CGI, etc. However, perspective qualifies as a distinct subject discipline and, therefore, deserves and requires a dedicated approach.

To solve this evident knowledge/education gap, we offer the most comprehensive lectures and courses on visual/optical/technical perspective available.

Learning Goals

If we limit our definition of perspective to graphical types, for example, linear and parallel categories, then perspective consists simply of drawing techniques. However, many other types of perspective are used in a variety of application areas, including visual perspective (2nd type or retinal), instrument perspective, new media perspective, etc. It becomes clear that perspective involves many topics, including space, time, optics, human eye/vision, colour, geometry, painting, reality, illusion, imagination, technology, etc.

Perspective images/views can be extraordinarily complex, comprised of multiple and interrelated optical phenomena, with composite, mixed, and blended perspective types/forms, numerous visual layers/components, etc. It is a technical subject whereby capturing, projecting/displaying, and creating perspective images/views involves detailed and often highly complex visual/optical/mathematical principles/methods.

Our goal is to provide the budding and experienced perspectivist with the necessary framework and analytical tools to better create, look at, comprehend, and use perspective images of any specific type.

Teaching Proficiency

To teach a technical subject like perspective with a high degree of proficiency requires not only a deep knowledge of the primary topic but also the capability to place learning elements into the correct historical plus modern context; and in terms of the scientific, mathematical, philosophical, sociological and technological knowledge framework(s), etc. Ergo, it is presumed that they (the teacher or the teaching body) have attained the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical skills in these areas.

All of our lectures and courses are given by Dr Alan Radley FRSA, who has been studying perspective full-time for over 20 years; most of that time, he worked closely with Prof. Kim Veltman, the world’s leading authority on the subject.

Alan has given keynote presentations worldwide on perspective, authored academic papers, articles, book chapters, books, etc., on the subject, and developed related optical modelling software, perspective inventions, etc. Ergo, combined with being a qualified lecturer in the UK, Alan is sufficiently accomplished to deliver an informative, entertaining, and high-quality presentation on this subject, as detailed below.

Lecture on Perspective (general audience)

Over a decade, at major colleges, universities, and companies in more than 10 countries, we have given an exceptionally well-received standard lecture on the history, principles, theory, types, methods/systems, and applications of visual/optical/technical perspective.

Perspective: Past, Present and Future

  • Nature / Status of Perspective
  • Natural and Artifcial Types of Perspective
  • History of Perspective
  • Leonardo Da Vinci and Perspective
  • Goals / Functions of Perspective
  • Problems of Perspective
  • 3-D and Stereoscopic Vision
  • Categories of Perspective
  • Visual Perspective
  • Linear Perspective
  • Classic Forms of Perspective
  • Perspective Phenomena
  • Imaging Applications
  • Physical Applications
  • Perspective Illusions
  • State of the Art
  • Future of Perspective

This lecture lasts 3 hours, covering all of these topics in detail, whilst moving fairly rapidly and involving subjects from a wide range of artistic, scientific and technological disciplines. Nevertheless, the lecture is well-structured to clarify the complex characteristics of perspective, explain previously unexplained ‘facts’, and solve perplexing mysteries. We allow plenty of time for audience questions.

We can adapt the talk to meet the interests of a specific audience; for example, we can explore artistic, scientific, or technological aspects of perspective or cater for the needs/interests of a particular group of professionals.

In any case, for those who wish to delve deeper into visual/optical/technical perspective; we offer a range of specialist courses as detailed below.

Perspective Courses

We run a series of perspective courses, using staged learning materials and building in rigour from beginner to advanced levels. Ideal student numbers are 10-15 for each presentation, but up to 25 people can be catered for.

A course lasts one working day of class time and comes with multimedia teaching resources, a book of theory, learning test sheets and challenging student activities to ensure that learning points are met. Each course is split into three 2-hour sessions, with a multimedia lecture, followed by real-world perspective problem solving; plus with 1-hour for lunch.

N.B. These courses are not drawing/artistic courses on graphical/linear perspective but examine perspective principles/theory/methods applied to many application areas, including art, science, and technology. 

The Beginner Perspectivist (Green Book)

The first course is The Beginner Perspectivist, but do not be fooled, this is a rigorous course that provides participants with a deep, broad and detailed education on all aspects of visual/optical/technical perspective. This course has no mathematical prerequisites, but may, at times, involve mathematical principles.

The Beginner Perspectivist

  • Perspective Defined
  • Natural and Artificial Types
  • History of Perspective
  • Goals / Functions of Perspective
  • 3-D and Stereoscopic Vision
  • Categories / Forms of Perspective
  • Horizon Line, Vanishing Points / Planes
  • Graphical / Linear Perspective
  • Classic Forms of Perspective
  • Perspective Phenomena
  • Imaging Applications
  • Physical Applications
  • Instrument Perspective
  • Perspective Illusions
  • New Media Perspective

The Intermediate Perspectivist (Blue Book)

The second course is The Intermediate Perspectivist, a rigorous course that provides participants with a comprehensive education on all aspects of visual/optical/technical perspective. This course has no mathematical prerequisites but may sometimes involve mathematical principles.

The Intermediate Perspectivist

  • Nature of Perspective
  • 1-D, 2-D, 3-D, ↑-D Perspective(s)
  • 3-D Views/Images, Displays, Models
  • Category Theory
  • Problems of Perspective
  • Looking and Seeing
  • Parallel Perspective
  • Graphical / Linear Perspective
  • Cylindrical and Curvilinear Perspective
  • Spherical Perspective
  • Spatial Illusion / Immersion
  • Modular Perspective
  • Artistic Applications
  • Scientific Applications
  • Technological Applications

The Advanced Perspectivist (Red Book)

The third course is The Advanced Perspectivist, a demanding course that provides participants with an advanced education on all aspects of visual/optical/technical perspective. This course involves mathematical methods at approximately the college standard.

The Advanced Perspectivist

  • Status of Perspective
  • Environmental Perspective / Architecture
  • Visual Perspective (retinal form)
  • Photographic and Cinema Perspective(s)
  • Telescopes and Microscopes
  • Crystals, Gems and Symmetry
  • Theatre / Scenography
  • Virtual and Extended Reality
  • Screens and Displays
  • LED Walls / Volume Screens
  • Drones, Lasers and Holograms
  • Virtual Production
  • Computer / Robotic Vision
  • Artifcial Intelligence
  • Future of Perspective

Undergraduate Courses

We offer three courses at the undergraduate level, dealing with the history, science, methods, philosophy, and applications of visual/optical/technical perspective.

These courses have been taught as 1st- and 3rd-year undergraduate courses at the University of Toronto, and were, and are, the only dedicated and curriculum based courses on perspective ever taught at a university anywhere in the world (in the modern era).

Past Courses on Perspective

As mentioned, today, we see a complete lack of dedicated courses on visual/optical perspective; the subject has been ignored and continues to be.

Professor Jean Pierr LE Goff, from IREM de Basse-Normande [Instituts de recherche sur l’enseignemnent des mathematiques], presided over a series of one-of-a-kind advanced courses on perspective given in 1981, 1984, 1987, 1991, 1993, and 2002. These courses on visual/optical/technical perspective were named “Les Cahiers De La Perspective: Points de Vue – The Notebooks of Perspective: 1-7”; and provided students with advanced historical and theoretical knowledge of the entire subject discipline. These latter courses were of an exceptionally high academic standard.

In summary, we have partially based our courses/lectures on the materials presented in the perspective courses given by Jean Pierre LE Goff, plus countless other books/papers/courses in our one-of-a-kind Library of Perspective.

Perspective Enlightenment!

Perspective is such a vast, integral, and profoundly influential topic that it should be taught as a distinct subject in schools, colleges, and universities. Whereby perspective is the very definition of an interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary subject, with countless sources, links, and fundamental relations that penetrate to the core of key phenomena in the arts, sciences, and technology.

It turns out that many different kinds of perspectives exist with complex characteristics, often presented with unexplained ‘facts’ that work to confuse, along with perplexing mysteries and exciting possibilities. Our task is to help students/researchers/professionals learn about and explore the kaleidoscopic, sometimes highly technical and wide-ranging topic of perspective and to unlock new abilities/solutions along the way.

Perspective education must have a sufficiently broad (and deep) knowledge base. Our teaching materials are based on the Library, Dictionary, Encyclopaedia, and Bibliography of Perspective; with 3,200 definitions, 500 perspective instruments, and 1,200 types of perspective identified, etc. You can be confident, therefore, that our perspective presentations/courses are fully contextualised and that our teaching materials are of the highest quality.

In summary, our courses and presentations provide the most detailed, wide-ranging, comprehensive, and up-to-date information on visual/optical/technical perspective available. These can be a cornerstone of research and knowledge groundwork for people studying the (sometimes) complex, confusing, and inherently mysterious subject of visual/optical perspective.

Hopefully, these learning resources can meet the needs of those seeking enlightenment on the epic subject of perspective. Fingers crossed!


-- < LATEST NEWS > --

Thank you for visiting this page.

To arrange a lecture or course presentation on visual/optical perspective, contact us for prices, available timeslots, arrangements, etc.

Watch this space for more information over the summer months!

Alan Radley -- 5th June 2025 --
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Dr Alan Radley FRSA | Scientific Director
alan@perspectiveresearchcentre.com
alansradley@gmail.com

Perspective Research Centre
www.perspectiveresearchcentre.com