Invasion of the Saucermen

In this post, we hear from Andrew Robinson, Senior Lecturer in Photography at Sheffield Hallam University and co-founder of the Centre for Contemporary Legend (CCL). If Andrew’s name sounds familiar, you may have seen his photography of calendar customs, which he’s been doing since the 1990s, or heard him in episode two of our podcast, Folklore Matters.

Andrew and David immortalised as the Saucermen…

Congratulations on your forthcoming exhibition at the Post Hall! What can visitors expect to see at the exhibition?

Lots of images, objects, artefacts and videos linked to the popular obsession with, and the folklore surrounding, UFOs, UAPs and flying saucers. It’s only a drop in an immense ocean of visual representations of this popular mythology but fascinating nevertheless. The centrepiece of the exhibition is a collection of over 350 drawings of UFOs produced by project participants over the last three years.

How did this exhibition come about?

My colleague Dr David Clarke is a world-renowned researcher in the folklore surrounding UFO and UAP sightings and in the summer of 2022 he asked me to analyse the only existing photographic print of the infamous Calvine UFO sighting which he’d recently discovered after many years of searching. This led me to realise the important role that photography often plays in sightings and became fascinated by the history of visual representations of these phenomena. We then began a joint research project to investigate this further and began hosting participatory events and talks at which we collected the drawings you see in the exhibition.

Why are visuals – photography and other visual representations of UFOs – so important to the story of UFOs?

Well, given we’ve never been presented with an actual craft our creative imagination is allowed to roam free, and the evocative visualisations of Flying Saucers and UFOs that we see in witness reports and in the popular media, (on book covers and in comics, films and TV shows) really etch themselves in our memory. One of my earliest memories of a flying saucer is from watching Gerry Anderson’s UFO in 1970 and I’ll never forget the impact those spinning alien craft had on me – they were so well visualised – not to mention the detail of the amazing spacecraft created in films like Spielberg’s Close Encounters.

With regards to the role of photography, there are many sceptics who don’t believe UFOs and UAPs exist so it’s essential that convincing evidence of sightings is available to support witness statements. If the witness is considered reliable, for instance a member of the military or police, or a lawyer or doctor, then this lends added credibility. Whilst the sketches often produced by witnesses are fascinating, in the pre-digital age photographs were the gold standard in terms of visual evidence. Even now, despite growing concerns regarding photographic manipulation and the rise of AI, photographs and film still have the power to convince.

What drew you to this subject matter personally?

Much of my art practice has explored the intersection of folklore and photography from mythical landscapes to seasonal customs and festivals. At the same time, I’ve long had an interest in photography’s problematic role as a form of visual evidence, both in terms of its amazing ability to objectively record and preserve visual detail and at the same time its ability to mislead and distort through the subjective gaze of the photographer.

Your talks with Dr David Clarke about UFOs have been extraordinarily well attended. What is it about UFOlogy that is so enticing to people, do you think?

Yes, it’s amazing how popular the subject is and also the passion displayed by both believers and sceptics – it’s a very deep rabbit hole to fall into!

Obviously, there was period of intense interest in the 1950s when sightings were at their highest, in part a result of a fascination with space due to the beginnings of the American and Soviet space programmes, but also resulting from concerns regarding the threat of nuclear war. Interest has continued across the decades thanks to continued sightings – often linked to developments in military recognisance craft – along with numerous influential films and TV shows, and a constant stream of publications.

In recent years, growing international tensions and the increasing military and commercial development of space have renewed interest. Recent comments by former President Obama and Trump’s promise to publish Government UFO Files along with the Spielberg’s new film ‘Disclosure Day’, due for release this summer, would suggest that interest will only increase!

The National Folklore Survey for England presents some intriguing findings about UFO belief, namely that a quarter of people living in England today believe that some Unidentifiable Flying Objects are alien in origin. Were you surprised by what the survey reported?

It’s interesting that alongside this, 32% of people believe all UFO sightings can be explained as natural, man-made phenomena, or hoaxes! This is similar to findings revealed by our research – the believers vs the sceptics!

Do you have a favourite artefact on show in the exhibition?

There are so many amazing images and objects but I really love the wooden UFO shaped ornament made by Alex Birch and given to David based on the craft he witnessed and photographed aged 14, in Mosborough near Sheffield in 1962.

Images relating to UFOs will be on show at the Post Hall, Old Head Post Office this March and April

Invasion of the Saucermen: The Visual Folklore of UFOs takes place at the Post Hall, Old Head Post Office, Fitzalan Square, Sheffield, between Thursday, 12 March and Thursday, 2 April 2026. The gallery space is open 10am - 4pm. The preview event will be held on the evening of Wednesday 11 March from 5.00 – 7.30pm.