ABSTRACT
The economies of applied performance include the multiple ways in which projects and organisations are resourced and managed. They involve complex interactions between financial and more-than-financial resources, along with activities and notions of value within specific economic, social and cultural conditions. In Aotearoa New Zealand, applied performance has struggled in a policy context infused with neoliberalism, neoconservatism and managerialism. This chapter examines Taurima Vibes’ kaupapa and process. Taurima Vibes walks alongside the people it engages with, creating safe, interactive environments for collective creativity. The chapter looks at what this means in Taurima Vibes’ creative practice and its approach to resourcing and organising its work, with a focus on the Puawai Festival, an event aiming to reduce stigma through performance, education, laughter and song.
