NOSTALGIA/LOSTAGAIN

WORKSHOP

SYMPOSIUM 2023

Please note: this symposium is in-person and requires that you are in Montreal for February 4th 2023.

Thank you for your interest in applying to host a workshop. Submissions for a workshop should be submitted to this google form no later than 11:59 PM Thursday, 19th January 2023.

Goal

Our symposium looks at how digital tools can evoke nostalgia and use these emotions to preserve a future where we won’t repeat the same mistakes of a lost past.

Due to its breadth, our slots for workshops can accommodate individuals from academia to industry whose works have touched upon the past, the future, nostalgia, self, or identity – with a focus on digital tools and media. We want to hone in on the capacity that materials have for evoking memories.

Structure

Our workshops follow the structure of a low-stakes, sit down-science fair, where participants can roam around freely, but each ‘booth’ is more than just a 1-minute poster pitch. Workshops do not have to be meticulously prepared and can revolve around one object, or a compilation of work. The goal is for you to present your work, and to enable the discussion that follows it.

Your workshop will be hosted in a room inside one of the many clusters of the Milieux Institute. Workshops should be presented collaboratively, and where this is not possible, workshop leaders are advised to encourage discussions and questions from visitors to the workshop.

Apply to host a workshop!

There are available slots for workshops. The time it takes for each workshop should be indicated in the Workshop Outline document (which we will request from you on the Google Form). Since there is 60 minutes dedicated to a workshop session (WORKSHOPS 1 / 2), we recommend that workshops do not go beyond 20 minutes. This will allow more people to move and visit your booth throughout the event.

Divided into two themes, the first round of workshops will be placed in WORKSHOPS 1 on the theme Potentialities of a Past, and the same for the second round after lunch, for WORKSHOPS 2 on the future.

The themes and possible prompts that workshops could revolve around are:

Potentialities of a Past

How is nostalgia preserved or put together?
What materials, meanings, and mediums are needed to portray a past?
What are the benefits and limitations of assembling a past? Is it ethical?
How did your process of nostalgia work begin? Take us through it.
Did you lose (or leave out) anything to recreate this past?

The Future is Born

What does the reality projected in your digital tool tell us about the future?
Why is it important that we are projected into possible futures before experiencing it ourselves? How much can our digital tools help us do that?
Are these projected futures just for humans? How can we ensure that nonhumans and nature are also included and given a hopeful future too?
Does this projected nostalgia always work? Can it also demotivate people?
How can we use our digital tools to persuade people to live toward a better future?

Requirements

This student-led symposium is open to all persons, including but not limited to, students (ugrad-postdoc), faculty, artists, and industry professionals. Preferably, they are affiliated with a university or are themselves professionals based in Montreal.

We will request a Workshop Outline Document in the Google Form, which should include the following:

A 1-page document outlining the workshop;
- What is the Title of the workshop?
- What is the goal of the workshop?
  - Please list 3-5 keywords for the workshop
- How many people can it accommodate?
  - (e.g., 3-6, as much as possible; its a passing booth)
- What is the minimum time you need to run this workshop, and what is the ideal amount of time?
- What sorts of activities or discussions will you take them through?

You can download our template here to fill it out.

Workshop Outline Application.docx

After Submission Process

Once you have submitted your interest to the Google Form, we will review all applications and indicate via email of the outcome. Applicants should expect to hear back from us during the weekend of January 21st - 22nd 2023.

Note: all definitive correspondence from this event is to and from projectlostagain@gmail.com

Successful applicants should respond to the email with a reconfirmation of attendance and attach any documentation used to present their work, should they wish to.

Download Template

Apply to host a workshop!

Please click the button above to access the google form.

Any general questions may be addressed on our FAQ page, or by contacting: projectlostagain@gmail.com