Shibari Structure

Shibari is a Japanese art form in which a person is tied with rope in an artistic and sensual/erotic manner. The binding itself is an important part of the ritual and is guided by aesthetic rules. Even though Shibari has an erotic touch, I see much similarity to wood joinery. Both are techniques for joining something together (making something tightly secure). One using rope, the other wood. In both practices there is a need to make it technically sound and safe to use in the first place and aesthetically appealing secondly. Rope and wood are natural materials and sensual to the touch.

I am working together on this one with André Cramer, befriended architect and builder - with an interest in working with solid wood. He is very skilled in technical drawing, and has akeen eye for detail, so I am learning a lot from him. At the same time, I teach André what I know about wood and wood-joinery.

‍Hua Hua, the Shibari artist who asked me to make this structure, has a love for Japanese joinery and will use the detachable structure for workshops and performances. To make a connection to the place she lives we chose to use Dutch Elm for the base and Ash wooden pegs.

In Scandinavian mythology Elm resembles the female and Ash the male.