Lasercuts & Lithophanes, oh my!

Today was a good lesson in “almost perfect.” Everything I did was almost a complete success…but it all has room for improvement. For example, the edges of this could be more rounded: And this attempt at an intaglio press plate printed backward and too thick: It’s resting on a phone stand I lasercut perfectly (on[…]

Hajime Kinoko & Asagi Ageha in Culture X

I have a real love-hate relationship with this video. On the one hand, it does some things right, such as referring to to the “art” as kinbaku, and linking the “rope culture” of Japan to the practice. On the other hand, starting from the Ubiquitous Zen Flute Riff when they show the “happy, sunny” Japan,[…]

Shibari in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

I suppose I should start out by explaining to those of you here hoping for a rope-and-steampunk post that this is not it. The title rather refers to a rather overquoted but nonetheless pivotal essay by Walter Benjamin called “Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” It’s a fascinating article in its own way, if[…]

A Smorgasbord of Smut for Your Senses

Not a lot of high-falutin’ philosophy this time around, but rather, a selection of music, video, and image to delight your kinky senses. Step right up, gentlemen make way for the ladies*, all for the cost of a click (or a donation, as you’ll see there on your right) you too can revel in the[…]

Adventures in Rope: The Rope Bomb NYC

On the 18th of October, the Rope Bomb Squad # 22402 invited me along for their Knotty Flash Mob romp through Central Park. My friends Storii and Parker met up with me in Manhattan and we joined the rest of the group of about 20 people just outside of Central Park. Murphy Blue, the leader,[…]