Addie is a Vancouver-based rope educator who teaches and performs world-wide with her partner Barkas. Addie is a switch and self-suspender, and she is active in discourses around rope culture, practices, safety, critique, and development. Her passion is deconstructing and teaching how and why things work the way they do, stressing understanding and proficiency over rote memorization. Her goal when tying is to facilitate a positive, affirming experience for the person(s) in rope, and her goal when teaching is to provide the tools for others to do the same.

Almond is a disabled, fat, queer, Mad, traumatized, rope switch & sex educator. Her work is centered on supporting fellow people in chronic pain to experience sexuality & sensuality in accessible ways. She’s the creator & facilitator of the Chronic Pain & Rope Workshop Series, the Chronic Pain & Sexuality workshop & the Porn for PTSD Workshop Series.

Barkas (they/them) is a bondage educator, performance artist, and writer. Their main focus is the development of various forms of language outside and on the border of verbal communication. With an academic background in physics, mathematics, history, and philosophy, their exploration of possibilities within and around rope bondage includes embedding the practice of tying into a larger context and the deconstruction of those contexts. Their contribution to the bondage narrative includes the development of Ranboo – a highly dynamic way of tying, “The City of Kinbaku”- a pedagogical concept for teaching Kinbaku, and the interview metaphor – as explicated in their book “Archaeology of Personalities”. Aside from bondage, their research and work include studies about identity and sexuality in a broader sense. In October they co-organized the international conference “Queer Practices/Queer Embodiment”. Barkas is based in Vancouver, Canada.

Caritia: lives in a queer, gender-fluid, BiPoC (assigned female at birth) body. Walking a path with invisible disabilities and the living challenges which accompany that life. Educator, creative and ongoing work in process, whose advocacy for establishing boundaries is as strong as the desire to love with truth and honesty. On a quiet mission to de-stigmatize difference and return power to each individual. Using the language of kink to the point of geeky excitement. Co-owner & co-founder of Karada House & OhYesPlease Berlin Germany

Ceci Ferox is a sexologist, kink activist, and rope nerd from Helsinki, Finland. They have been organizing rope events and teaching shibari since 2014. Ceci teaches japanese rope bondage from top, bottom and switch perspectives. They like to focus on elements of technique and communication rather than patterns and sequences. They draw on their expertise as a community educator to bring people together.

“My goal is to create safer spaces for people to communicate through rope.”

Ceci‘s tying is influenced by traditional Japanese styles as well as contemporary western organic and artistic tying. They fluctuate between hyper-technical and chaotic tying, but have a constant focus on connection and communication. Ceci‘s ties is created in the moment, inspired by each situation and partner.

“Rope for me is a medium for meditation, empowerment, intimacy, and sexy times. It is also about continuous learning and wonder.”

Gandalf is a Shibari artist and instructor. They were trained as a cognitive scientist before leaving academia and started a body art platform (KinkyFeminist), which dedicates itself to diversifying rope education and building safe(r) spaces for rope practitioners. They now teach both artistic expression and cognitive science.

Gandalf teaches a style of tying that borrows heavily from different styles of theatre and dance. It aims to explore the potential of rope beyond eroticism and emphasizes attention and empathy in tying. They have also started the “Kinbaku Theatre” initiative to further push the boundaries of rope performance. Each class consists of 20 laypeople who are new to tying, who would produce an on-stage performance over a period of a 12-hour intensive tying and movement workshop. Previous Kinbaku Theatre works include:

• Departures (2021)
• Becoming (2021)
• All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone (2021)
• The Space Between Us (2021)

I was introduced to shibari in 2007 and have been immersed in it ever since. My interest was initially sparked by the aesthetic; the seemingly organic structure of rope melding with flesh, in the works of Nobyoshi 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 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.

神凪Kanna started SM career as a ‘New-half Mistress’ (Transsexual dominatrix), met 明智伝鬼Akechi Denki and was so impressed, then became 縄師Nawashi(rope master).

神凪Kanna(X-gender) and 神楽Kagura are Japanese queer rope couple that has been together for 15 years.

They have traveled around the world to teach and perform Japanese Kinbaku Kanna succeeded from Akechi-sensei and has developed.
Kanna style is Semenawa style which draws inspiration from Hojojutsu捕縄術, is very restrictive and includes complete control of the body and often plays with the breath.

Lee Harrington is a spiritual and erotic authenticity educator, gender explorer, eclectic artist, and award-winning author on erotic and sacred experience who has been teaching on these topics since 2001 (and getting tied/tying others much longer). His books include “Shibari You Can Use: Japanese Rope Bondage and Erotic Macramé,” “Sacred Kink: The Eightfold Paths of BDSM and Beyond,” and “Traversing Gender: Understanding Transgender Realities,” amongst many others. Lee has been a passion instigator, academic, adult film performer, sexual adventurer, outspoken philosopher, polytheist priest/ess, and has been blogging about sex and spirit since 1998. Read more about Lee at PassionAndSoul.com.

Pauline Massimo is an interdisciplinary human originally from Brazil and based in Barcelona, which mostly focused in perform, teach, photograph and organise Shibari related events professionally, but with experience background in circus, yoga, dance, plastic and conceptual art, and more.

They started into Shibari around mid-2012 and since then was a non-stop journey in self-discovery and learning process. They have been into a vast number of workshops and have equally experienced as a rope model, rigging and self-tying.

Pauline is educated and interested in the broader range that Shibari can provide as a practice, like classic Japanese style as more contemporary mixed styles, they are mostly interested in the mental and physical challenge that this practicum can offer as much as the challenge of creating experiences that adapt for different tastes and capabilities.

René de Sans is a Berlin based, visual artist with a focus on photography and film. Her primary artist interest lies on the exploration of human bodies as visual, visceral and psychological landscapes, that express, incarnate, question and deconstruct ideas of identity, gender sexuality and taboo.

René first came into contact with rope in 2013 while modeling for private lessons and started to develop tying skills with self-tying. Eventually she also started to tie others and finds herself comfortable on all sides of the ropes.

Roser Antuña, from Venezuela, is a psychologist and her experience is mainly focused on issues related to trauma, violence, and sexual diversity. Additionally, she has more than 12 years of experience as a photographer specialized in portraits and has recently ventured into the practice of Shibari. And most recently, she has been exploring her own body and self-expression through movement practices and dance to integrate on her life and Shibari.

I was born in 1986, Buenos Aires, Argentina. I studied visual arts and photography, I worked as a photography teacher for teenagers, children, and adults. I also worked in film as a camera and art assistant. My interest in rope bondage appeared in 2006, it was not until 2018 that I was able to practice with a friend and colleague Guido Ignatti. Then I started studying with Leo Guga in Buenos Aires and different virtual workshops organized by Karada House. I have been attending Kanna and Kagura’s salons regularly for about a year now and I plan to continue studying forever. Currently, my job is to tie in private sessions and give a beginner-level workshop in Buenos Aires. I also participate in mixed projects with rope and visual, movement, and sound arts as well as a personal research laboratory where we started the project “hair” the year last. Always grateful, curious, and insatiable.

Sophia is a London based facilitator and artist working with ropes. She is curious about physical practices as tools for creative expression, to explore and move through the forever developing relationship between our bodies and minds. She is passionate about delivering accessible, empowering, and de-mystified education on rope, sexuality and BDSM, grounded in a trauma aware approach.

Sloane is a Vancouver-based rope artist. She ties, is tied, and self-ties. She regularly teaches at TheSpace2 in Vancouver, as well as at in-person and online classes. She has a wicked sense of humor and a strong sense of adventure.

Subay is a Shibari artist and founder of Kokoro Studio in Hong Kong. She is now based in London.

Subay was first introduced to Shibari eight years ago when she was fascinated by its aesthetics, eroticism, and emotions. She spent the first few years exploring and learning the different styles from several well-respected nawashi in Japan. In 2014, she met and was deeply inspired by Yukimura Haruki sensei. Afterwards, she dedicated herself to the study of traditional Japanese style. In 2015, Subay met Naka Akira sensei and chose to focus her study on sensei’s style of semenawa. She continues to explore her own style of semenawa which is both feminine and inclusive.

In March 2018, Subay had the honor of performing at Onna Matsuri (おんあ祭り) in Tokyo. In November 2018, she had the privilege to tie at Naka sensei’s satsuei-kai (縄奈加會緊縛撮影会), and in November 2019, she assisted Naka sensei in his workshops in San Francisco. In 2020 and 2021, she presented in the two Queerope conferences hosted by Karada House.

Subay teaches and performs internationally, including in Asia, Europe, and the US. Her teaching focuses on the “why”, the feelings, the emotions, and provides insights on the perspective of both the rope top and the rope bottom.

Sex and intimacy educator based out of Cape Town. Focused on showcasing a different interpretation of what rope and intimacy can look like, independent of the doctrine and dogma of Japan and Europe.

Blue has been teaching and performing rope bondage since 2012. In June 2017, she opened VoxBody Studio, the Bay Area’s first rope-dedicated venue. Beyond ties and knots, she loves diving into the layers of rope bondage that explore communication, consent practices, body awareness, self-advocacy, and the energetics of how we show up for each other.

Moxie is a bondage enthusiast based in California and has been rope bottoming for four years and tying for two years. She’s passionate about restraint, aesthetics, body awareness, and rope that makes her feel distressed. She enjoys exploring ties that can be challenging or disturbing, as well as awkward positions that make her laugh.

Blue and Moxie are both enthusiastic switches and believe rope education should address both sides of the rope. They have been tying and teaching together for the last three years.

Student of Yoi Yoshida. Shibari Artist & Sexual Education based in Bangkok, Thailand.

Yada believes rope bondage is not just tying someone up but it’s also the way to communicate to the person through rope without saying any word and be able to allow ourselves and sink deep into vulnerability. Being sad and feeling sadness is relevant… it’s one of the human emotions

Yada is also an activist/political artist who is currently oppressed under the military government and as a woman who was born and raised in a patriarchal society. Yada often uses her sexuality and rope bondage in her political movements, In order to assure that women’s voices will be heard and to get the rights and freedom of women in Thailand, especially those who are marginalized or underprivileged such a sex workers and LGBTQ+