THE NOSTAGAIN NETWORK

Exploring Generative Nostalgia Since 2022

CfP: Love and Loss 2025

Near… Far… Wherever You Are…

We invite you to the third symposium by THENOSTAGAINNETWORK called “LOVE & LOSS”. Paper presentations, performances, and research creation are welcome on the topic of nostalgia that engages/builds on the following prompts:

With Generous Support From

Topics of Interest

The experience of losing something we love

  • Nostalgia and grief
  • Sense of place and communities
  • Art work and creation that reflects the artists’ loss
  • Reflections from grief/emotional support groups
  • Climate change; noctalgia, solastalgia, land loss, erosion
  • Migration, deportation, displacement, gentrification
  • Losing sensuality in a world of instant, flat surface technologies
  • Losing personal time, childhood, ‘prime’ time in life, private time etc.

Continuing to love something forever lost

  • Discourse around what is “vintage”, “old”, “junk”, “nostalgic”, etc.
  • Making sense of loss creatively, academically, socially, psychologically, etc.
  • Preserving the limited quantity of whatever is forever lost to time

Strategies used by people or institutions to bring back what is loved/lost

  • Mass-production of items that speak to the past
  • Hoarding, trading nostalgia, bulk purchase, upselling nostalgic things
  • Utopias, resistance from grassroots communities, slow time movements
  • Making Something Great Again — nostalgia and political rhetoric
  • Remakes, revivals, reflections — nostalgia as a business
  • Use of AI to bring back the past, look into the future, etc.

Who or what ‘loses’ because of our need to bring back / revive what we love?

  • E.g., The user loses time by scrolling on the For You page
    • Lowly paid workers lose their sanity from sorting through content that we would hate to see on our feed — sensitive/graphic images
  • E.g., Nature loses more of itself as we continue to over consume things due to nostalgic campaigns without regard for waste or residual effects

Submission Guidelines

1. Paper Presentations (12-15 minutes)

  • Abstract of work to be presented, 300 words
  • Author profile and your relationship with nostalgia, 150 words

2. Research Creation Projects (~1 Hour Showcase and Q&A)

  • Abstract of work to be presented, 500 words
  • Author profile and your (work’s) relation to nostalgia, 150 words
  • Option to upload media and links to illustrate your work (.doc, .pdf)

NOTE: Online and virtual presentations are accepted based on a quota, as priority will be given to in-person works and presentations.

FAQs

What kind of presentations and research creation projects are you looking for?

Anything goes! As long as it engages with the theme of LOVE & LOSS — see above — we will consider it. Works can be in progress, published, or speculative! Have a look at last year symposium’s recap for some ideas.

I’m not an expert on nostalgia. Can I still try submitting something?

Yes! The Nostagain Network prides itself on generative explorations of nostalgia. Everyone can talk about nostalgia because everyone feels and interacts with nostalgia in some shape of form. In short, you are an expert already!

What should I do if I want to change or withdraw my submission?

No problem. Please write to Derek Pasborg / Richy Srirachanikorn at nostagain@gmail.com with your request. We’ll get right on it!


THENOSTAGAINNETWORK
Released: October 10th, 2024
Last Updated: November 4th, 2024


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