In The Eye of the Beholder: imaging and imagining UFOs (London)

Everyone has an idea of what a UFO might look like but where do these ideas originate and how have they become so influential? Using their experience of discovering, analysing and publishing the only known photograph of the Calvine UFO sighting of 1990, Dr David Clarke and Andrew Robinson from the Centre for Contemporary Legend at Sheffield Hallam University, examine the visual folklore and legend surrounding UFO sightings. Their talk will explore the representation of UFOs in popular culture, academic study and online contexts and reflect on the public interest following publication of the Calvine photograph in the summer of 2022, which resulted in the online sharing of numerous conspiracy theories, false claims and bizarre interpretations that did as much to obfuscate as to as reveal a possible explanation for the image. The latest version of this insider’s view of contemporary UFO analysis and debate, will share up to the minute research findings and includes a practical demonstration of UFO fakery and a participatory activity.