Facilitators

• Gestalta

  Gestalta

  I was first introduced to shibari in 2007 and have been immersed in it ever since.
 My interest was initially sparked by the aesthetic of shibari; the seemingly organic structure of rope melding with flesh in the works of Araki, and other artists whose works I had collected in scraps from the few Japanese publications available. As I began to practice it myself I also found an interest in exploring the potential of ropes to open up new ways to connect with the body, with other people, and the effects of pushing myself into seemingly ‘extreme’ psychological and physical states. I began using shibari in performance in around 2009 and gradually developed an interest in impermanent structures, and the fragile balances found between us, our environment, and within intimate connections. Although I see shibari very much as an art form, it is also important to me that it’s roots in pornography are not glossed over; I see it also as a powerful way of reconciling any perceived conflict between art and sex and exploring the relationship between the two.

  URL www.gestalta.co.uk

• Shantel Liao

  Shantel Liao

  Started with photography and later mixed-media calligraphy. I’m fascinated by the power of identity nowadays, how it shaped us in various ways, physically and mentally. From gender to culture, how we connected with our own history and the greater environment. Solo and group exhibitions were hold in Taipei, Tokyo, L.A., Athens and Paris since 2010.

• Uli Kaffei

  Uli Kaffei

  Ulrike Uli Kaffei was born in 1986 in Kirchheimbolanden. After college, she completed an apprenticeship as medical lab technician. She spent a lot of her time with bodies and their fluids until the routine of the laboratory animated her to pursue another passion - design. She went on to study Communication Design at the HS Mannhein, where she practiced storytelling through image, text and sound. In 2016 she started studying Motion Design at the prestigious Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg which she finished in April 2019 with her diploma shortfilm -SPELLBOUND.