Tag Archives: photography

Free talk on the Visual Folklore of UFOs – 26th March, Sheffield

A selection of participant UFO Drawings from the ‘In The Eye of the Beholder’ Project, 2023-2026.

Invasion of the Saucer Men – The Visual Folklore of UFOs, UAPs and Flying Saucers

Free Public Gallery Talk – 6.30 pm, Thursday 26th March – Tickets HERE

Dr David Clarke and Andrew Robinson will be hosting a free illustrated public talk titled ‘Invasion of the Saucer Men’ to accompany the exhibition of the same name currently on show in the Post Hall Gallery, Old Head Post Office, Fitzalan Square, Sheffield, S1 2AY. The talk takes place in the Gallery space at 6.30pm on Thursday 26th March.

The talk will explore the visual folklore of UFOs, UAPs and Flying Saucers, with a particular focus on British sightings and publications. David will trace the origins of flying saucer and UFO folklore and explore the important role played by a small group of highly influential individuals.

Andrew will then discuss the initial findings of the ‘In The Eye of the Beholder’ research project he and David have been running for the last three years. The research project has seen the pair host talks and participatory events at locations as far afield as Pennsylvania, USA and Calvine, Scotland including The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies in London, Todmorden’s  Centre for Folklore, Myth and Magic, and the National Space Centre in Leicester.

At these events, members of the public were given ten minutes in which to draw what they imagined a UFO might look like, resulting in the 378 drawings presented here. Whilst these inventive and creative images portray all types of UFO, the flying saucer or disc dominates, with more than 65% of drawings picturing this classic shape, a testament to the longevity of this visual legend which dates back to 1947 or earlier. Andrew will also discuss his use of AI in the creation of artworks exploring the contested space between truth and fiction in photographic representations of UFOs.

David will have a few remaining copies of his book ‘UFO Drawings From The National Archives’ (pub. Four Corners, 2017) for sale and there will be a free 60-page booklet to accompany the talk and exhibition for the first 50 attendees.

TICKETS – The talk is FREE, however please register your interest via Eventbrite HERE so we can manage numbers.

  • Further information on the exhibition click HERE
  • Read an interview with Andrew about the project on the National Folklore Survey website HERE
  • Read a review of Andrew’s artwork by Matt Edgar HERE

For further information please contact:

andrew.robinson@shu.ac.uk or david.clarke@shu.ac.uk

Theatrical release poster by Albert Kallis for ‘Invasion of the Saucer-Men’, Dir: Edward L. Cahn,1957 for American International Pictures.

Invasion of the Saucer Men – the visual folklore of UFOs, UAPs and Flying Saucers

Exhibition and Talk

UFO Images
C1970s Push Along UFO Roulette Toy / Participant Drawings / Unpublished ‘Honey-Bee’ children’s book (Copyright © A Robinson 2026)
  • Venue – Post Hall Gallery, Head Post Office, Fitzalan Square, Sheffield, S1 2AY
  • Opening Night – Wednesday 11th March 2026 – 5.00-7.00pm
  • Exhibition Open – 11th March – 2nd April 2026 – 10.00am-4.00pm

SHU folklorists Dr David Clarke and Andrew Robinson have spent the last three years researching the visual folklore of UFOs, UAPS and flying saucers. This exhibition, curated by Andrew Robinson, showcases 378 fascinating participant drawings collected as part of the research accompanied by a visual inventory of more than 80 years of UFO artifacts and memorabilia, including material from the famous Calvine UFO Case, exploring our obsession with the unknown.

Selection of UFO Drawings
A selection of participant UFO Drawings from the ‘In The Eye of the Beholder’ Project.

Alongside this is presented a series of new photographic works by Andrew playfully exploiting generative AI to question photography’s role as visual evidence in support of sightings.

‘The Answer # 3 – (Unidentified Areal Phenomena)’
Images created by Adobe Photoshop’s ‘Generative Fill’ when prompted with the phrase ‘Unidentified Areal Phenomena’. (Copyright © A Robinson 2026)

The exhibition reveals the longevity of this contemporary myth which began at the dawn of the space age when the first satellites, space rockets and nuclear missiles drew our attention towards the heavens. Currently interest, from public to President, continues to grow thanks to the increasing exploitation of space – from Chinese spy balloons to NASA’s Artemis Moon programme and Elon Musk‘s SkyTrain – alongside the release of previously secret files, images and videos and despite advances in optics and imaging the mystery of the UFO, UAP and flying saucer remains.

David and Andrew would like to thank all those who contributed to the project by taking part in the participatory activities and producing the wonderful drawings included in the exhibition.

Free Gallery Talk – 6.30pm, Thursday 26th March

Dr David Clarke and Andrew Robinson will be explaining their research and discussing the history of the visual folklore associated with Flying Saucers and UFOs along with photography’s often problematic role in providing visual evidence of sightings.

Tickets and Info HERE

Read an interview with Andrew Robinson about the project and exhibition on the National Folklore Survey website HERE

You can read a detailed review of Andrew’s artwork by Matt Edgar HERE

For further information please contact:

andrew.robinson@shu.ac.uk or david.clarke@shu.ac.uk

Saucermen poster by A Robinson (inspired by 1957 film poster of the same name).
Theatrical release poster by Albert Kallis for ‘Invasion of the Saucer-Men’, Dir: Edward L. Cahn,1957 for American International Pictures.

Stannington Scarecrows

A small selection of images of Covid Scarecrows collected by Dr David Clarke during the May Bank Holiday from Stannington on the Western fringe of Sheffield.

Stannington Scarecrows

“I was out for a walk with my wife in late May in the Loxley Valley and we climbed the hill up towards Stannington and when we reached a back road we saw what appeared to be a person sitting on the top of a high stone wall. We watched as we climbed the hill and I thought this was an unusual person as they hadn’t moved for ages. It was only when we got close I realised that this was actually quite an elaborate decorated scarecrow. Sporting a tartan hat, dark sun glasses, bright red lipstick and fluorescent pink socks, all decked off with a flower garland and a ‘Support the N.H.S.’ rainbow hanging around its neck (see the far left image above). As we walked further into the village and along the main street we saw more and more scarecrows and increasingly elaborate designs and I believe a number of them have been subsequently photographed and featured in the local paper, the Sheffield Star.“

“It’s interesting how these and other scarecrows that appeared during the original lockdown and shortly afterwards have been decorated and the themes that have been used. Alongside the omnipresent rainbows and the showing of support for N.H.S. and care sector workers there has also been the appearance of heroes and villains with Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings masks appearing on scarecrows alongside representations of Captain Tom Moore the veteran solider who raised millions for the N.H.S. These are all interesting themes that are being played out through these local displays which seek to both provide entertainment but also personal and political commentary during Corvid.”

This commentary is taken from a Podcast entitled: Folkloric Customs in the Time of Covid-19 (available HERE) recorded by CCL’s Dr David Clarke and Andrew Robinson for the 2020 Festival of The Mind (see HERE) and the Off The Shelf Festival of Words (See HERE).

Covid Rainbows and Scarecrows from Sheffield, S10.

Above are a selection of images of Covid Rainbows collected by Diane A. Rodgers of the Centre for Contemporary Legend during the first lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic in April 2020 while on daily walks around the Crosspool and Fulwood areas of Sheffield, S10.

An impromptu mini Scarecrow festival was organised by residents of Valley Mews and friends in to give thanks to care workers and entertain children on their daily walks.