Paul Roberts

Senior LecturerMA

Overview

My practice covers a broad range of digital media processes; I specialise in 3D image and animation making, and have a keen interest in exploring new technologies relating to interactivity and digital / human interfaces. I have produced animations and VR / AR outcomes that explore the relationship between traditional media storytelling and virtual worlds.

I have been working in academia for nearly two decades, teaching both the theoretical and practical aspects of image making, with a particular focus on illustration, and the edges of illustrative practices.

Qualifications

MA Mass Communication (University of Leicester)

Teaching Qualification

Postgraduate Certificate in Education

Teaching

I currently teach the undergraduate BA Illustration course at AUB. This includes weekly lectures and the running Visual Thinking unit for level 4, and the digital component of level 5's Convergence / Divergence unit.

I have previously taught on the BA Visual Communication and Graphic Design courses at AUB, as well as part time teaching on the undergraduate Media & Communications course at Goldsmiths.

Courses

BA (Hons) Illustration

Research

Research Interests and Projects

My research practice engages with 3D animation, Augmented and Virtual reality, interactivity and animation. I am exploring how illustrators can make use of virtual environments to bring new aspects to their illustrative universe, and utilise new technologies as tools for image production.

My current academic research has focused upon materiality, media affordances, and the relationship between images, process, and practitioners in the creation of affective imagery. I am particularly interested in how digital environments impact upon processes of making and the collaborative aspect of human / digital interactions. I am currently exploring how Post-Phenomenology and MET theories can inform an understanding of digital illustrative practices.

I have collaborated on both practical works and academic papers with colleagues at AUB. This has resulted in an award winning animation based upon a VR project (Queen of Spades), the production of book-based AR experiments; and academic papers on Reportage, Animation, and VR.