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. It 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 providing learning materials and, if possible, in-person talks/courses.

Knowledge Gap

Perspective is a little-known, poorly understood, and much-maligned 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 multifaceted subject that encompasses 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 4,000 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. You can therefore be confident that our perspective presentations/courses are fully contextualised and that our teaching materials are of the highest quality.

Notably, a dedicated course on perspective is rare; 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 address this evident knowledge/education gap, we offer the most comprehensive lectures and courses on a visual/optical/technical perspective.

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, comprising multiple and interrelated optical phenomena, composite, mixed, and blended perspective types/forms, numerous visual layers/components, etc. It is a technical subject in which capturing, projecting/displaying, and creating perspective images/views involve detailed, 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) 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, and books on the subject, and developed related optical modelling software and perspective inventions. Ergo, in addition to being a qualified lecturer in the UK, Alan is sufficiently accomplished to deliver an informative, entertaining, and high-quality presentation on this subject.

Lecture on Perspective (general audience)

Over a decade, at major colleges, universities, and organisations in more than 10 countries, Alan has 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

  • On Perspective (subject introduction)
  • Natural and Artificial 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 to the needs/interests of a particular professional group.

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 includes multimedia teaching resources, a book of theory, learning test sheets, and challenging student activities to ensure learning objectives are met. Each course is split into three 2-hour sessions: a multimedia lecture, real-world perspective problem-solving, and 1 hour for lunch.

These courses are not soley drawing/artistic courses on graphical/linear perspective, but rather examine perspective principles/theory/methods applied across 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
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Future 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 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.

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 complex and (sometimes) confusing/mysterious subject of visual/optical perspective.

Overall, these learning resources can meet the needs of those seeking enlightenment on the epic subject of perspective.


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

Alan Radley
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Dr Alan Radley FRSA | Scientific Director
alan@perspectiveresearchcentre.com
alansradley@gmail.com

Perspective Research Centre
www.perspectiveresearchcentre.com