Prof Kevin Petrie
BiographyKevin Petrie is `Professor of Glass and Ceramics' and leads the academic team in Glass and Ceramics in`The National Glass Centre at the University of Sunderland'. Kevin studied Illustration at the University of Westminster and Ceramics and Glass at the Royal College of Art. He holds a Ph.D. from the Centre for Fine Print Research, University of the West of England, Bristol.
Research Interests
Kevin is perhaps best known for `blending' printmaking and glass/ceramics for creative use. This includes the development of new processes and the dissemination of new practice internationally. Kevin has written two books on the subject - Glass and Print and Ceramic Transfer Printing - and published a number of articles in key journals. Kevin has been invited to teach and lecture in Australia, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Denmark, Germany and Canada. He is also very active in the development and support of research students. Kevin is a member of the Arts and Humanities Research Council Peer Review College and was recently awarded a National Teaching Fellowship for his postgraduate teaching. Kevin has been an Associate Editor for International Journal of Learning and International Journal of the Image. Kevin is also an exhibiting artist working in ceramics, glass and drawing. His work has featured in a number of books including Contemporary Kiln Formed Glass - A World Survey by Keith Cummings.
Research Activities
A&C Black in the UK and The American Ceramic Circle in the USA published Kevin's latest book, Ceramic Transfer Printing, in 2011. This draws together historical context, the illumination of aesthetic issues, and case studies of research and practice to support practice in ceramics, glass and enameling. Kevin is also developing aspects of the book through a number of articles and conference papers. Including: IMPACT 7 - International Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking Conference, 27-30 September 2011, Monash University, Australia and Ceramic Review - The International Magazine of Ceramic Art and Craft.
Kevin has also recently written two linked papers that consider current developments in creative glass research with an emphasis on blending of subject areas and technologies. Both papers expand upon and up-date the paper Parallels and Connections Emerging Trends in Ceramics and Glass Design Research given at the International Association of Societies of Design Research Conference at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2007. Paper one sets the context and paper two offers three case studies of how new research can emerge from a blending of skills based on a `haptic' understanding of materials and processes.
The first paper, Creative Glass Research - Case studies from art and design was presented at The 10th European Society of Glass Conference, Magdeburg, Germany and published in Glass Technology: European Journal of Glass Science and Technology Part. A. The second paper Glass and Print: Blending approaches for innovation in creative glass was an invited keynote lecture at the 2010 British Glass Biennale Symposium, Creativity and Innovation in Glass.
Kevin presented at a third international conference in 2010, The International Conference on the Image, LA, USA. This presentation, Glass and the Printed Image: Case studies from contemporary art introduced aspects of glass and the printed image, `on', `in' and `of' glass. This is an area of interest Kevin plans to develop in the future.
As well as his personal research, Kevin works extensively with the large cohort of research students in glass and ceramics at Sunderland (c31) including a number of AHRC funded students. Kevin has supervised six completed Ph.D. and MPhil projects and examined Ph.Ds. across the UK, as well as in Sweden and Australia. Kevin has also developed the successful Parallels and Connections - Ceramics and Glass Research conferences since 2007 as part of the Institute for International Research in Glass programme, which have offered important opportunities for international researchers to share and disseminate ideas.