THEYYAM, NEAR PAYYANNUR, KERELA, INDIA — 2025
This series was made at a Theyyam ritual near Payyannur, in North Kerala, India. Theyyam is a ritual performance tradition practiced in villages and local shrines across this region, shaped by long-standing oral histories, belief systems, and caste-based roles.
The ritual unfolds in stages. It begins with fire, movement, and metal instruments, before the performer takes on full costume and adornment. Through this transformation, the performer embodies the deity being honoured. Music, dance, fire, and animal sacrifice form part of the ritual offering.
Theyyam functions as a form of worship and communal gathering. People come to receive blessings, guidance, and protection, and the ritual plays a central role in local religious and social life.
I was drawn to this event through my interest in human celebration and ritual — in how communities gather around shared belief, repetition, and collective experience.
This project sits alongside my wider work on celebration and community, and the ways people come together through ritual.