Ken Thaiday Sr grew up on Erub (Darnley Island), in the eastern Torres Strait Islands. There, he learned about the habits of Beizam, the hammerhead shark, and was also taught songs and dances that portray the shark’s movements. Wearing the Beizam headdress, Thaiday dance mimics the shark, and he manipulates a system of string pulleys to open and shut its jaws. Though inspired by traditional masks and headdresses, his articulated sculptures are made from materials sourced from the urban environment where he now lives, in Cairns. Recognising the supremacy of Beizam in Torres Strait waters, Thaiday has said:

I call it Beizam, the symbol of Law and Order, because he is the king of the water and no-one else; you see, this is their territory . . .