Retro-futuristic Visions: Looking Back to Look Forward

Retro-futuristic Visions: Looking Back to Look Forward (October 25-27 October, 2023) is the 2nd international academic conference to be hosted by Yoobee College of Creative Innovation, under the umbrella of UP Education, a group of accredited affiliated tertiary institutions across Australasia. Convened by Dr Kathryn A. Hardy Bernal, Head of Research and Postgraduate Studies, and co-organised by Mads Nielsen, Campus Manager, Wellington, both of Yoobee Colleges Ltd, this year’s event will take place at the premises of the Wellington Club and UP Education, Pipitea, Wellington, New Zealand.

Our continuing aim is to gather and unite our wider collegiate and to strengthen our worldwide network of academics who share a pursuit of knowledge that contributes to discourses around shaping our cultures and societies. Our inaugural event attracted a healthy cohort of affiliated, external, and international delegates who attended online, whilst this year, for the first time, we are welcoming international visitors to New Zealand who will be presenting in person, onsite. Our conference theme, Retro-futuristic Visions, has encouraged proposals from around the world, and our 40 selected speakers are from Australia, Canada, India, Italy, Japan, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as leading tertiary educational institutions across New Zealand. Those joining us include delegates from the University of Sydney, Australia; University of New England, Armidale, Australia; University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada; Christ University, Bangalore, India; University of Bologna, Italy; University of Salerno, Fisciano, Italy; Hosei University, Tokyo, Japan; University of Kent, Canterbury, UK; Hofstra University, New York, USA; University of California, Berkeley, USA; Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, USA; Loyola Marymount University, USA; and Massey University, Victoria University of Wellington, and Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design, New Zealand. Yoobee Colleges are represented by the New Zealand School of Tourism (NZST), South Seas School of Film and Television, and Yoobee College of Creative Innovation.

The theme of the conference asks us, “How can we learn from the past in order to see the future?” This research question is the foundation of a fascinating programme of “intertextual research that investigates the boundaries and paradoxes of advancements in technologies and creative philosophies while viewing innovations through a nostalgic lens”. Scholarly fields span the disciplines of Digital Technologies, Literature, Drama, Film, Animation, Gaming, Fashion, Education, Visual Arts, Philosophy, Museum and Archival Studies, and Cultural Anthropology.

Our invited guest keynote speaker, Isobel Joy Te-Aho White (Ngāti Kahungungu ki te Wairoa, Rongomaiwahine, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Irakehu) is an award-winning children’s book illustrator, artist, graphic designer, muralist, and musician. We are honoured to welcome her to present her plenary address, “Pūrākau Māori in the modern era” (https://www.izzyjoyart.com/). This will be followed by 12 panels of presentations covering the three days.

For further information, please contact Dr Kathryn A. Hardy Bernal (Head of Research and Postgraduate Studies, Yoobee College of Creative Innovation):

kathryn.hardybernal@yoobeecolleges.com