The pursuit of ‘connective’ or ‘communicative’ rope is central to the experiences many of us seek in rope bondage. Despite this, connection and communication as concepts are slippery to define, tricky to exemplify, and often tautological in explanation. Connection is not created by a set of actions, by a particular pose, by close proximity, or touch. It cannot be prescribed, nor does it rely solely on instinct. Much like learning basic steps of dance before building to allow improvisation, there are techniques that help us to notice cues, interpret them more aptly, respond constructively, and evaluate the impact of our actions.
In early 2016, Barkas laid out the first version of the Interview Metaphor, a structure that allows those who tie to identify and handle the elements in a scene and thus understand why specific actions might be more effective than others. This Metaphor formed the basis of Barkas’ book, Archeology of Personalities: A Linguistic Approach to Erotic Rope Bondage.
Since then, the Interview Metaphor has grown and gathered friends – the Archive, Reciprocity, the City, to name a few. Each of these concepts gives a fresh view into how scenes work, how people interact, how power structures evolve, and what we make of/build with our efforts and intentions.
This workshop series approaches the Interview Metaphor and associated structures chronologically, starting with the Interview and adding complexity and layers of understanding in the same order in which the concepts themselves were formalized and introduced, making this is a historical exploration of the evolution of rope theory as well as a practical application of concepts. Demonstrations and exercises allow participants to practice and absorb concepts. As with all of Barkas’ and Addie’s classes, there is an emphasis on the education and contribution of
both (all) parties in the scene.
Part I:
Power and communication. We will discuss with the help of simple exercises how the terms power and communication can be understood in the context of rope bondage. It marks the emergence of the interview metaphor.
Part II:
Grammar and vocabulary of the interview. In this part, we will see how much we can borrow from the realm of verbal communication and how we can implement concepts such as interruption or punctuation in order to have more meaningful scenes. This is about different interview styles.
Part III:
Advanced communication techniques. This final part deals with the less obvious corners of nonverbal communication and we will be looking at the interview from the perspective of music, architecture, and poetry.
Event Details
Date & Time: May 22nd, 29th and June 5th, 2022 7pm-10pm CET
Format: workshop (virtual)
Audience: LGBTQIA+ & FRIENDS
Language: English, translation into German can be provided
Minimum Knowledge Level: single column tie and basic knowledge of some upper body tie
What to Bring: if you want to work along you need ropes, safety gear, space, a partner
Solo or Partnered: both (each participant needs a ticket)
Class recording: Yes. The recording will be made available after the live class and will remain available for 14 days after the end of the entire series.
Who is this event for?
LGBTQIA+ describes the full spectrum of non-mainstream sexual orientation and/or gender identity, meaning: lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, non-binary, genderqueer/fluid, queer, intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender.
Friends describes people of any and all kinds of gender and sexual identities who are aware and respectful of the necessity, needs, and boundaries of a queer safe(r) space and its marginalized community.
When you consider yourself a friend you show acknowledgement to and are respectful of everyone’s self-expression and do not assume, presume or project non-consensual ideas onto others. You actively request and use people’s chosen pronouns. You remain mindful of the fact that Karada House is first and foremost a space for queer people that you are also invited to attend. You have a genuine concern for the well-being of LGBTQIA+ people and remain in awareness of heterosexual and gender straight privileges.
Friends don’t have to be perfect. None of us are. We request that we all pro-actively work and strive to be good friends and allies to marginalized people.
If you cannot afford the ticket price (even the solidarity price), please send us a message. We will find a way.
Photo: Ryan Zyro
