The PIYN project is happening again in 2012. Please check the blog for updated information. Planned visits in 2012 include Fabio from Phakama organisation, Swifty and Paul Bradshaw, and more.

As part of the British Council New Zealand's Arts programme we have our flagship event called PIYN - People In Your Neighbourhood which launched March 2009. The third year of the project has now been completed - view archived details as well as workshop toolkits and video files on the PIYN blog. PIYN 2010 involved live shows in Auckland, Taupo and Wellington May 2010, as well as UK visitors USO and acclaimed street poet and urban creative guru Charlie Dark (Attica Blues, Blacktronica). The event in 2010 focused on participatory media, livestream internet technology and online income generation toolkits for diverse aspiring creatives. The 2011 programme focuses on online toolkits, capacity building workshops and internet collaborations.

The PIYN project involves aspiring artists and performers from Auckland’s ethnic communities, working with the best of contemporary UK talent, to create an album or other portable multimedia, and perform a live street-style urban show. We aim to explore and celebrate the unreconised artistic and urban talent in all of our neighbourhoods.

The 2009 PIYN album acted like long strands of a net, reaching out into ethnic communities in NZ and drawing the music back to a central creative hub. The idea was to create “stars” in each community. You can download the full album for free here. The album project is creative commons, so anyone can take album files from our CCMixter site, and remix the tracks.