Performance photography of PAIA, Ngaiire's ceremony of music, movement and fire, commissioned by Carriageworks for Vivid Sydney 2025.
Client: Carriageworks
Where: Carriageworks, Eveleigh, on Gadigal Country
When: Vivid Sydney 2025
We made: Photography
Work quietly, and honour the space
PAIA takes its name from the Tok Pisin word for fire. Ngaiire made it with director Dino Dimitriadis, and it fused music, dance and ceremonial fire into one long rite, with Ruby Jackson performing alongside her.
Carriageworks' brief to us was short. Capture the spirit of the show in stills, work quietly, work by instinct, and respect the space. We kept to the edges and moved with the performance, watching Ngaiire's body, the smoke and light, and the line between the stage and the people watching it.
Ngaiire has since shared the photographs widely, which tells us they carried something of the night beyond the room.
Photographs: Ripple Narratives
