BeckerFraserPhotos September 2010 photograph 029

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A braced chimney on a house in Cashmere which has also been waterproofed with tarpaulins, plastic sheeting and blankets.

WEMO ERT Set 1 - March 2011 - Photograph 58

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of members of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team in the hanger of a Royal New Zealand Air Force Hercules. The ERT members are travelling to Christchurch to help out in the emergency response to the 22 February 2011 earthquake. Blankets, tent poles, and other supplies have been stacked in the centre of the hanger.

BeckerFraserPhotos September 2010 photograph 018

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A house on Dilworth Street in Riccarton. The chimney has crumbled, leaving bricks scattered on top of the roof. Plastic sheeting and blankets have been laid over the roof as weather proofing.

Jim Baltaxe WEMO Photograph 048

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of mattresses and blankets in a school hall in Christchurch. The hall was set up by Civil Defence as temporary accommodation for citizens displaced by the 22 February 2011 earthquake.

WEMO ERT Set 1 - March 2011 - Photograph 60

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of emergency management personnel inside a Royal New Zealand Air Force Hercules C-130. The aircraft is on the runway at Wellington airport. Blankets and other supplies have been stacked in the centre of the aircraft.

WEMO ERT Set 1 - March 2011 - Photograph 59

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of emergency management personnel inside a Royal New Zealand Air Force Hercules C-130. The aircraft is on the runway at Wellington airport. Blankets and other supplies have been stacked in the centre of the aircraft.

Ray Whelan WEMO Photograph 29

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of stretchers and blankets in Cowles Stadium on Pages Road. The stadium was set up by Civil Defence as temporary accommodation for citizens displaced by the 4 September 2010 earthquake. In the background are a stack of mattresses and a cot.

QuakeStory Photo 325

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph submitted by Bettina Evans to the QuakeStories website. The description reads, "A memorial blanket in creation, depicting some of the buildings lost in the earthquake in Lyttelton. Dozens of people are helping with the sewing – this is a follow on from the heart stitching which happened spontaneously in Lyttelton on London street after the February earthquake.".

Swimming with ideas: What happens to creativity in the wake of a disaster …

Research Papers, Lincoln University

Creativity that is driven by a need for physical or economic survival, which disasters are likely to inspire, raises the question of whether such creativity fits with conventional theories and perspectives of creativity. In this paper we use the opportunity afforded by the 2010-2013 Christchurch, New Zealand earthquakes to follow and assess the creative practices and responses of a number of groups and individuals. We use in-depth interviews to tease out motivations and read these against a range of theoretical propositions about creativity. In particular, we focus on the construct of “elite panic” and the degree to which this appeared to be evident in the Christchurch earthquakes context. Bureaucratic attempts to control or limit creativity were present but they did not produce a completely blanket dampening effect. Certain individuals and groups seemed to be pre-equipped to navigate or ignore potential blocks to creativity. We argue, using Geir Kaufmann’s novelty-creativity matrix and aspects of Teresa Amabile’s and Michael G. Pratt’s revised componential theory of creativity that a special form of disaster creativity does exist.