What is Poi?
Poi is a movement art: weighted tethers swung in patterns around the body.
Poi has its roots in Maori culture. Spun with LEDs or fire and photographed with a long exposure, every arc becomes a stroke of light, which is the raw material of every BreakStream Arts work.
How a spin becomes a photograph
- The camera shutter opens in the dark.
- The poi are spun through a rehearsed pattern, each pass laying down light.
- The shutter closes; the trails of the whole performance sit on one frame.
A history of the artform will be published here.
See it performed
LED and fire sets, what they need from a venue, and how to book one.
Book a performanceSee what it leaves behind
Every plate in the gallery is one pass of the poi, held on one frame.
The collectionHear when there is more
Double opt-in. One email when there is something to say.