Rope Bondage, Documentary Style

I couldn’t sleep this morning – awake before 4am, and finally gave up about 5 and just got the fuck up. It was actually kind of nice – for a change I didn’t feel rushed as I sorted through posts, emails, tweets, etc, letting myself just wander the webs.

I found two items of interest to rope bondage afficionadoes: documentaries that attempt to show some of the reality of what it is we do, whether in Japan or on the American continent (where Toronto seems to be vying with Madison for the title of Bondage Capitol of the World, damn you Lord Morpheous and Troismarteaux!).

The longer of the two is a beautiful and amazingly-shot piece by Hakalax Productions. Kinbaku: the Art of Bondage is a textured, atmospheric piece profiling riggers and models and others involved in the s/m world of Japan. Told through first-person narration by people such as Asagi Ageha, Osada Steve, Haruki Yukimura and others, it is an insightful and sometimes disturbing look into what goes on in the mind of those who share this strange passion with rope.

I want this DVD just for the imagery: as a video artist myself, I am immensely envious and inspired by the way the editors, cinematographers, and directors put this together. Watch the whole 1/2 hour piece, then watch it again (in fact, I wish they would put out a “music only” version so that it could be put on for ambience). The soundtrack is also (mostly) exceptional, though I personally found a couple of the classical pieces a little overdone.

There will be a high-res showing at the London Festival of the Art of Japanese Bondage, and Esinem also has distribution rights – and I’m telling you, it’s worth it. You can also watch it online by clicking the image above.

Second was a familiar face – er, mask, that is. My buddy Lord Morpheous, who invited me to be part of his first show at Nuit Blanche, has had a documentary made about his second “Morpheous Bondage Extravaganza.” Shot in the summer of 2009, this short format documentary follows Dylan Ryan, Morpheous and other rope bondage performers in the week leading up to the event, and based on the trailer below, looks to be both hot to watch and enjoyable in that special way that watching people enjoy themselves can be.

Comfortable? I Can Fix That – Trailer from Raj Ramnauth on Vimeo.

Oh, and as promised: the CLEVELAND GRUE GALLERY is live! If you were there and would like your images included, please email them to me!