Organised by Canterbury Christ Church University and The University of the Arts London, Photography and the Archive Research Centre (PARC) at London College of Communication.

This two day peer-reviewed conference explores the multiple concepts of nostalgia and how longing manifests itself within contemporary culture. It will examine, analyse and interpret the complexities of nostalgia and nostalgic sensibilities within art and media based practices.

Nostalgia is often viewed as a form of yearning for another place or time; it has been identified as a way of managing loss, a marketing device and a tool of propaganda, by making reference to the past as a means to shape the future. Recently, the cultural function of nostalgia has been a subject of critical debate. In response, the conference will consider nostalgias’ different purposes across a range of art and media based practices. Areas of exploration will include: photography, film, television, music, archives, consumer culture, psychology and social media. The diverse selection of papers will question a wide range of topics including; the development for ‘retro’ aesthetics in vernacular digital photographic practice; the use of nostalgia as an integral part of a postmodern consumption; and nostalgia as a sensory experience of the past that evokes cherished bittersweet memories.

The conference weekend begins with welcome drinks and a private view of the conference exhibition on Friday 8 November, followed by a full conference programme on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 November. A conference dinner will take place on the Saturday evening at the Walpole Bay Hotel.

Keynote Speakers:

Dr Tim Wildschut, University of Southampton, UK
Prof Nancy M. West, University of Missouri (MU), USA

Speakers:

Jacqueline Butler, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
Dr Mike Chopra-Gant, London Metropolitan University, UK
Dr Sylwia Chrostowska, York University, Toronto, Canada
Dr Alison Gazzard, Institute of Education, London, UK
Dr J P Kelly, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
Jane Simon, Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia
Hui Ying Kerr, The Royal College of Art, London, UK
Christian Hviid Mortensen, Media Museum, Odense, Denmark
Philipp Müller, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Germany
Prof Maria Pilar Rodriguez, Deusto University, Bilbao, Spain
Anna Maria Kurpaska, King’s College London, UK
Rosy Martin, Artist, London, UK
Meg Jackson, University of Arizona, USA
Manuel Menke, Augsburg University, Germany
Dr. Gilad Padva, Tel Aviv University, Israel
Paul Kerr, Middlesex University, London, UK
Sonya Robinson, Sheffield Hallam, UK
Dr Shiro Yoshioka, Newcastle University, UK
Prof Carol Mavor, University of Manchester, UK

For more information please visit the Nostalgias website or for the full conference programme, please click here. 

Main image credit: Image from the series ‘Land Without Past’ by Philipp Ebeling’. London College of Communications, University of the Arts London.