Exploring the Art of Deco : transforming cityscape and bodyscape : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies in Marketing at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
Loading...
Date
2022
DOI
Open Access Location
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Massey University
Rights
The Author
Abstract
In an increasingly saturated ‘experience’ market, immersive events have risen in popularity. The attractiveness of immersive events to tourists revolves around the intimate people-event relationship, centering the tourist as a participant, as opposed to a spectator. By assuming a participant role, tourists are now known as co-producers, responsible for co-creating their own touristic experiences. This study examines the immersive and co-creative experience of attending the Napier Art Deco Festival, embedded in the narratives of the festival attendees. Specific to the Napier Art Deco Festival, this event demonstrates a strong sense of place, characterised by an intimate people-event-place relationship.
An in-depth, semi-structured interview strategy was adopted for this study. The findings depicted two transformative processes that occur during the festival period. Firstly, elements of the cityscape, including tangible and intangible, were orchestrated to offer a cityscape transformation. Secondly, the tourists similarly manufactured their bodyscapes, using material culture, to experience a transformation of the bodyscape. Overall, the Napier Art Deco Festival facilitated a site where these two transformations could occur simultaneously, offering an enhanced and co-creative experience for the festival attendees. The complex interplay of the two transformations produced five elements including place dependence, mass orchestration, collectiveness, consumption experience, and the multi-sensory nature. These elements enhanced the immersive festival experience. The findings identify the festival offered a desirable lifestyle for its attendees, with escaping and seeking opportunities being identified as motivators of attendance. This thesis provides helpful insights for site managers to guide experience design, execution, and interpretation of co-creative immersive events.
Description
Figure 2 & Table 1 are re-used with permission. Figures © Sean D'Souza in Appendix 3 and Appendix 4 are re-used with permission.
Keywords
immersion, co-creative festival, sense of place, transforming cityscape, transforming bodyscape, Napier, Art Deco Festival