19/01/2010 by Esinem.

Here’s the schedule so far. Keep checking back as we will be adding more detail as it is confirmed. Please be aware that minor changes might be made as new contributors and ideas are being integrated all the time. You only have to look at the ever-growing list of artists and experts to see why! You can book here but tickets are selling fast:

Friday 2 April

10:30-13:00 & 14:00-16:30: There will be a special 2 and a half hour class with Kinoko Hajime, in which he will provide an insight into the ways he makes the experience of being tied more intense and into the aesthetics that make Japanese style so distictive. This will be an unique opportunity to attend that first ever UK lessons held by a Japanese master. The cost will be £95 per couple for the class.

The bad news: The first class has sold out.
The good news: Kinoko will do a second class in the morning!

19:00-24:00: The Arts exhibition where we plan to bring even more interesting contributors and collaborators together to display their work. We have made a great start with offers of contributions from Sorayama and Sardax, plus, of course, some of last year’s amazing artists. Amongst the shows are Esinem and Maleficent Martini, in which she performs aerial ballet.  Free admission.

Saturday 3 April

10:30-18:00: Workshops and tutorials, with greater emphasis on the introductory elements, held by experts including Kinoko Hajime, Zamil, Marc of BeShibari, Esinem, DrPhil and many more. They will not only cover bondage but also other related area, such as bondage photography.This year, due to demand, we will be running at least two sessions concurrently. A schedule will be published shortly, but you can be assured that there will be something for everybody, whatever your skill level, from some of the best teachers there are. £40:00

18:00-24:00: Chill out, have a drink and watch videos of the masters at work and some classic kinbaku movies or practice your rope skills on the mats or suspensions frames, with expert advice on hand. £5.00

22:00-06:00: We have teamed up with Club Subversion, London’s most popular SM play club, for tonight’s party, ‘In Japan’. The dress-code is fetish or Goth Lolita, Manga, kimonos, Hentai, Cosplay…let your imagination run riot. They will have the same suspension frames as we had last year, plus an extensive range of Playpenz dungeon kit. You can guarantee that’s where a lot of us will be going so you can expect the bondage extravaganza to continue there. £10.00 concessionary price for Festival goers.

Sunday 4 April

12:00-19:30: A slightly later start out of sympathy for those who were partying hard at Subversion. Workshops and tutorials, with greater emphasis on the introductory elements, held by experts including Kinoko Hajime, Zamil, Marc of BeShibari, Esinem, DrPhil and many more. They will not only cover bondage but also other related area, such as bondage photography.This year, due to demand, we will be running at least two sessions concurrently. £40.00

 22:00-05:00: The main party. Never has the UK, or even Europe, seen such an incredible line up! Topping the bill will be Kinoko Hajime, who is Japan’s new rising star. Check out the ever-growing list of amazing performers under the Contributors link. £15.00

Monday 5 April

14:00-19:00: Presentations on Japanese arts/culture, Q&A sessions and discussions, plus open practice on the mats or suspensions frames, with expert advice on hand. £15.00

20:00-24:00: Nawashi Murakawa’s popular Salon Kinbaku life drawing sessions and separate area, where some of the stars of the shows will be tying,  for photographers to capture live action. £20.00

• Full event discounted tickets
  • Single ticket, all events*: £80.00
  • Couples ticket, all events*: £120.00

  * Excludes Kinoko Hajime master class

For discussion on the Festival, see threads on ForumBondage and Fetlife.

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15/01/2010 by Esinem.

Due to the ludicrously short time span in which we had to organise last year’s Festival, certain things got overlooked. The biggest was food, beyond the odd nibble. This year we will make sure you won’t have to roam the streets of East London for pizzas and dodgy kebabs as we have arranged for Mura/City Sushi, a well-known West End restaurant and wholesale sushi supplier to provide on-site catering throughout. Mura, awarded 9 for its food in London Eating, will be providing unlimited sushi, noodles, miso, yakitori etc. on a daily changing menu. Oishii! (Delicious!) Don’t worry they won’t be charging ‘captive audience’ or even London prices, no dish will be over £5! If you have never tried Japanese food, there’s no excuse now and, for those that have, indulge yourselves.

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12/01/2010 by Esinem.

Here are the prices for this year’s Festival and you can buy your tickets here. Prices are a little up on last year but this reflects the fact that we have a bigger and better event this year: even more big names, including Kinoko Hajime from Japan, a whole extra day, more workshops and classes, sushi galore and additional capacity and lots more!

Things are really buzzing. We had 4,000 visitors here in December  and around 8,500 in January!

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12/01/2010 by Esinem.

Here is a short video of Nawashi Murakawa at work at the Salon of Kinabku at last year’s event to whet your appetite. It was made by the very talented Patrick Siboni, who was also responsible for some stunning photos. I’m delighted to hear that he will be back again this year with bondage model, Berenice.

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08/11/2009 by Esinem.

We are keen to attract all types of contributors: art in any medium, riggers, musicians, cultural experts, video, performers; in fact, anyone who can make this event even better. It would be great to have more input from Japanese nationals and ex-pats. So if you are, or you know, the sort of person who might fit in get in touch by emailing me.

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17/10/2009 by Esinem.

Our old blog was blocked and we have been unble to find out why or get it back, so we have brought it under our own control and away from censorship. It will take us a few days to get it back up to speed, meanwhile the latest discussions and plans for next year’s event can be found here on ForumBondage. It’s worth checking there, even when this site is fully implemented, so you can see what ideas are being kicked around and hopefully contribute. Apart from that, you’ll find it one of the most informative and lively dedicated bondage forums on the net.

For those of you who don’t alreaady know what the Festival is all about. Here’s our mission statement:

The London Festival of the Art of Japanese Bondage is totally unique. It presents kinbaku (aka shibari/Japanese rope bondage) as an artistic inspiration, a performance art in its own right and as a means of erotic communication, whilst sharing knowledge about it and its cultural context.

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