Barkas & Addie, August 2023

Barkas & Addie (CAN)

Barkas and Addie are Vancouver-based rope educators who teach and perform world-wide. Their style is characterized by a focus on the process, interaction, and emotion of a rope scene. Together they founded TheSpace2, Vancouver’s first dedicated rope space. Since the pandemic they are both teaching online for Karada House and in person for Hockus Pockus Ruckus.


Barkas is a bondage artist and writer. They have developed the “Interview Metaphor” as a way of understanding rope bondage and placing focus on the person in ropes, “Ranboo” which is a highly dynamic and stormy way of doing and thinking Kinbaku, as well as the “City of Kinbaku”, a poetics of Kinbaku.


Addie is a switch and self-suspension enthusiast. She organizes regular workshops on dynamic self-suspension and versatile education both, for beginners and technically advanced. When co- teaching she focuses on bottoming information and discourse.

Teaching Consent:

Everyone is unique. We will show exercises that work for us. If you can’t, for any reason, practice an exercise, let us know and we can offer a workaround.

What to bring

Ropes! Tying partners should be willing to get emotional with each other and explore their bodies as well as their psyche

Friday: Performance Night & Rope Jam
25.8.2023 / 19:00–23:00 (FULLY BOOKED)

Language: English

Price: regular ticket 25 €/person (discount ticket 15 €, support ticket 30 €)

Registration: will open on Monday 26.6.2023 at 18:00. Please fill out this form to reserve tickets!

Venue: Eskus, Studio 1. Read more on how to get to Eskus.

Accessibility: Eskus is accessible by wheelchair via elevator. Please contact the organizers in advance to get access to the elevator. Personal assistants and sign language interpreters enter the workshop free of charge, safer space code of conduct applies to all participants. Read more about the accessibility in Eskus.


We will start the evening with Barkas & Addie’s tying performance and a Q&A session. The night will close with a rope jam where everyone is welcomed to tie or get tied.

Ticket includes entry, a snack buffet, coffee and tea.

Saturday: The Rope Interview & Movement for Kinbaku
26.8.2013 / 11.00–18.00 (FULLY BOOKED)

A full day workshop with one hour lunch break.


Language: English

Price: regular ticket 150 € /pair = 75€ /person
(discount ticket 70€ /person, support ticket 80€ /person)

Venue: Eskus, Studio 1. Read more on how to get to Eskus.

Accessibility: Eskus is accessible by wheelchair via elevator. Please contact the organizers in advance to get access to the elevator. Personal assistants and sign language interpreters enter the workshop free of charge, safer space code of conduct applies to all participants. 
Read more about the accessibility in Eskus.

Registration: Opens Monday 12.6.2023 at 18:00. In pairs, through this form.

Prerequisites for workshop: Single column tie

First part: The Rope Interview

We will look into how an interview can be used as a metaphor for tying. 

To tie with a person always involves a certain power relationship. This kind of scene also implies a nonverbal conversation between the two people tying with each other. In this mindset, we can use the concept of an interview to describe the dynamics between people tying together.

With the help of some ipponnawa (one rope) techniques, we will explore some of the more obvious and some of the subtle references to the interview metaphor.


Workshop includes:

  • Theoretical background of The Rope Interview

  • Different questions (that can be asked with ropes)

  • Different answers (that can be told to the questions)

  • Interpretations of answers

  • Tips and tricks for rope bottoming by Addie

Second part: Movement for Kinbaku

To move the person in ropes requires more than just the will to tie. Moving happens both for the tying person as well as the tied person, both emotionally and physically.

We will explore stability/instability, leverage, confidence, forcefulness. These and other concepts play a big role when it comes to moving in ropes.

In this workshop, we will look at how to most efficiently move oneself and someone else.


We will look into:

  • Forceful movement

  • Intelligent movement

  • Faithful movement

  • Switching between the above within a scene

  • Variations

Sunday: Ranboo
27.8.2023 / 11:00-14:00 (FULLY BOOKED)

Language: English

Price: regular ticket 40 € /person = 80 € /pair (discount ticket 35 € /person, support ticket 45€ /person)
We offer -5€ discount in case you attend both workshops on Sunday. Full day price is same as for Saturday.

Venue: Eskus, Studio 1. Read more on how to get to Eskus.

Registration: Opens Monday 12.6.2023 at 18:00. In pairs, through this form.

Prerequisites for workshop: Single column tie

In 2011, Barkas started to develop his personal way of doing ropes, which was very stormy and overwhelming. Since then this way of doing ropes has become a well-known style in the world of kinbaku. In this class, participants get their first insight into ranboo. Some key terms of Ranboo, such as proper distance and proper intensity at the proper moment, make up the framework for this style of tying.

Workshop includes:

  • Key terms of Ranboo

  • How to start a scene

  • Madame Butterfly

  • Hojo Jutsu (some techniques to catch your partner)

  • Application of the principles of Ranboo

  • Tips and tricks for rope bottoming by Addie

Sunday: Differential Geometry for Rope Bondage
27.8.2023 / 15:00-18:00 (FULLY BOOKED)

Language: English

Price: regular ticket 40 € /person = 80 € /pair (discount ticket 35 € /person, support ticket 45€ /person)
We offer -5€ discount in case you attend both workshops on Sunday. Full day price is same as for Saturday.

Venue: Eskus, Studio 1. Read more on how to get to Eskus.

Registration: Opens Monday 12.6.2023 at 18.00. In pairs, through this form.

Prerequisites for workshop: Single column tie

How can a mathematical, physical and engineering context be applied to rope bondage? Reflecting on these contexts can help you to better understand the structure of certain patterns. It can also help bottoms increase their ability to handle rope on the body.

Content:

  • Curved and flat spaces. A very short introduction into differential geometry.

  • Angles on curved spaces. Where to put the fingers when.

  • Knots and topological equivalence. Different “hitches” and their use

  • Forces and their direction. Frictions and suspension lines.

  • Tips and tricks for rope bottoming by Addie

Study privately with Barkas and Addie?
Wed–Thu 23.–24.8.2023 

Private tuition is the best way to learn rope bondage in depth. The focus will only be on one student. In a private environment, the student can work on various topics.

Private tuition can also include the participation of Addie with a focus on rope bottoming skills. It can also entirely focus on rope bottoming skills. In that case, Addie will lead the private tuition.

Private tuition can also be arranged as a Master class. It is a concept coming from music education, where an audience of students observe when a student studies with one teacher. Students can decide the topic for the teaching. The audience learns from watching the tuition. The participants can switch after one, two or more hours.

Private tuition will be held at Vallila or Sörnäinen, Helsinki, or at your location close by.

Prerequisites: None. Barkas & Addie will adjust the teaching to your level.

Inquiries & registration: Send a mail islaikashibari@gmail.com. Tell about your availability during the days (e.g. anytime works or only after office hours) and how many hours you’d like to have. Tell a little bit about your skill level and what kind of topic you’d like to work on.

Price: 1 hour / 125€. Minimum length: 1 hour.

Kanna & Kagura (JP) performance night 17.9.2021