Students can learn the techniques
of complex, hands-on knot-work and
aerial suspension at workshops as well
as group classes. These take place not
just in sexual-smorgasbord cities such
as Amsterdam but all around Europe,
North America and Australia.
When marie claire asked me to try
the trend out, my first stop was the new
erotic novel White Horse Slave, by fe-
male Australian author Rett Tyler. The
plot: self-efacing girl meets very, very
rich boy, but this time the protagonist is
a traumatised former sex slave and fully
trained submissive who has internal-
ised her trauma and finds comfort in her
collar and chains – and joy in shibari.
“White Horse Slave makes Fifty Shades
of Grey look like a Little Golden Book,”
reads one review, adding that it’s “dark,
gritty, confronting and intelligent”.
Heroine Rhiannon (think a Ruby
Rose type, or Billy Bob Thornton-era
Angelina Jolie) hankers for razor blades
the way a smoker reaches for a ciggie.
Shibari is her liberating happy space.
“Everything is on the table,” Rhiannon
narrates. “It’s the rough and soft, start-
ing and stopping, sweet and harsh that
creates the exquisite erotic pleasure of
Japanese rope bondage.”
The walk to the wild – and dark –
side is compelling, but can I pull this
of? I am worlds away from the tatts/
razor blades aesthetic – if I had body art
it would probably be of Jane Austen. On
the upside: the intimate connection that
Rhiannon describes developing be-
tween the “rigger” – the person tying the
rope – and the model being tied sounds
incredibly promising. I am drawn to
damsel-in-distress tropes and fantasiesinvolving the man as a powerful rescue
figure who will encircle me with his
strength. Over the years I have drifted
further away from the actual risks of
emotional connection. The boringly dis-
posable, swipe-left world of Tinder
dating has left me longing to turn the
clock back to chaperones and sexual
tension. If a girl has to get trussed like a
turkey to feel something real, so be it.
I hitch a lift to Adelaide Rope
Space’s hush-hush central location to
meet with Emerald – a gorgeous, curvy
redhead – and her partner Sparks.
Emerald’s role is that of the “bunny”, or
the person who gets tied. Sparks –
young, fit, sandy-haired and trained to
an international level – has been
rigging for three years. My raised brow
at the term “bunny” is my ocial first
not-in-Kansas-anymore moment.I enter the building – a noise-proof,
purpose-built space in a small industri-
al warehouse. Behind a black curtain, a
group of couples await on floor mats un-
der serious metal rigging – some older
lesbian couples, some straight, ranging
f rom 25 to 50. Codenames such a s Baby-
doll and Dragon are de rigueur and so
far no-one seems to be worshipping
Satan. In fact, Blondie leads the class
dressed in sporty casuals, as sensible
and no-nonsense as if she were running
a cake bake. She goes through safety
concerns: never leave your bunny tied
up alone; no drugs and alcohol; be
aware of nerves and pulse points (the
potential of nerve damage from incor-
rect tying adds high-stakes gravitas).
She reminds the class, “This isn’t about
ego; the rigger is there to make the
bunny beautiful and help them let go.”Shibari, meaning “to tie”, was
originally created by Samurai
warriors to entrap prisoners.
It is now seen as a sensual
experience, exploring
control, lust and eroticisim.54 marieclaire.com.au