Deborah Harty, Chair of the Drawing Research Group (DRG) at Loughborough University will open this event with an introduction to the work of the group, highlighting some of the research undertaken by its members. This will be followed by a presentation by the artist Claude Heath. Claude has collaborated with John Stell, a computer scientist and mathematician from Leeds University, and will discuss their joint article to be published in Leonardo: ‘Out of sight but not out of mind: A diagrammatic conversation on relational drawing.’ This article reflects on their longstanding dialogue, using a common visual vocabulary of loops, connections and negative space, plus a shared interest in exploring the physicality of practice.

Saul Albert, Lecturer in Social Sciences (Social Psychology), who has collaborated with Claude on other interdisciplinary projects which use drawing as a research tool, will then lead a discussion with Claude and members of the DRG followed by a wider Q&A.

Claude Heath is a British Postwar & Contemporary painter who was born in 1964. Their work was featured in several exhibitions at key galleries and museums, including the Württembergischer Kunstverein Stuttgart and the MMoCA, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. Find out more about Claude’s work here. 

John Stell is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Computing at Leeds University, working on spatial knowledge representation in Artificial Intelligence. His background includes a BA in Fine Art from Leeds College of Art and interdisciplinary projects spanning computation, mathematics, fine art, and the humanities.