The Prague Shibari Festival September, 3-5, 2021 was a blast. Thank you, Zoptik and Joan, Thank you Prague Community for inviting us. It felt warm and welcoming being in Prague again, after this “Covid year”. <3
Pictures: Joan van Brook
Workshops
MA: Space, time, and in-between
This „laboratory“ goes beyond technique, patterns and figures to experiment with the Japanese concept of negative space, distance, pause – the void: MA. Emptiness or the “void” acquires a powerful role in the process of creation. In life as in a rope scene, when two human beings come together, to engage in a practice, they create a tension. It is this space in-between that bears the potential to create.
Therefore we explore, on a very practical level: how can we use time and space to create a scene? How do we get aware of it? How can we feel into distance? When is it harmonic – when too close or too far away? How time feels different in a scene? When to start the next rope? How to create tension over tying? And when does tension wants to get dissolved? Are you tuned in?
Based on our experience from martial arts and somatic bodywork (and our own approach to Kinbaku) we guide you through exercises exploring these questions – and the effluent concepts of MA.
The 3rd, 4th, 5th, nth rope – how to enjoy tying a chest
Very formally spoken, the „3rd rope“ is an addition to any two ropes Gote (Takate Kote, box-tie). But why to be formal?
This workshop is about tying a chest! Or to be more precise: an open chest… a chest, opened by a Gote (other patterns also work well). We can tie this open chest gently or hard. We can give impact with the weight of the rope or with pointing frictions / knots on pressure points. We expose or hide. We press and form the flesh.
For the person tying, we invite you to think about your intention, your desire. We will show you principles and movements, to create an impact with tension and flow.
For the person tied, we invite you to travel inwards. What do you feel? How does the rope, the impact on your body translates into emotions?
Tying a chest creates a lot of vulnerability – on both side of the ropes! Join us to explore this beautiful feeling.
Seme-Nawa, No Patterns: Play!
In this workshop, we will give an insight into our interpretation of Semenawa, which is for us about creating an intimate and intense rope session. A physical and mental challenge is created in order to influence an emotional state of the person in ropes. We don’t focus on techniques or forms.
We rather question your intention and give impulses how this intention can be translated into specific ties in order to create maximum effect for the person in the ropes. The process of tying is slow, the figures produced are static. Rope after rope increases the challenge. The result is images that are aesthetically reminiscent of calligraphy or ikebana. The goal is to move the tied partner to devotion and show them in all their beauty.
This is a practical workshop, you will tie a lot yourself.
Prague Shibari Festival Archive