Shibari and Fractals

A fractal is a figure whose parts are made of smaller versions of that figure. For example, imagine a square made of little squares. That’s a fractal. Sounds boring, right? Well, it’s not. And if you combine Shibari and fractals, the results can be very interesting.

Believe it or not, I’m a mathematician besides a rigger. You might think that they are totally unrelated, but that’s not true. Math, especially the way I do it, has to do with structure. And Shibari is also a structure, although a structure of ropes around the body. So, I can take what I learn from one and apply to the other.

For me, a knot is a unit. And the figures made of knots get a very special effect if they are actually bigger versions of the small knots. I’ve done it many times and people in the audience always react approvingly. Moreover, the symmetry of the ties contrasts with the natural asymmetry of the body. By facing uniformity against variation, I add another layer to my Shibari scenes.

Now, I don’t say all Shibari scenes have to be that way. This is me and my style. But I do think that I bring something unique to Shibari, which makes ma a true rope artist.

Curiously enough, one day I asked the makeup artist to use whatever she needed to make the faces of my models symmetric. I was surprised when the audience didn’t like the perfection of the face and the perfection of the ropes. Now I understand that, just as in life, we need in Shibari a combination of the perfect and the imperfect, of symmetry and variation.

I still have to work on the emotional aspect of my scenes, which is somehow weak. But I believe that every day we will discover new ways for Shibari. And I’m proud to be part of that effort.

That’s how I combine Shibari and fractals.