'Not Only Ropes' - artist's book from Andrea Ropes

Italian bondage rigger and teacher Andrea Ropes has produced a copiously illustrated book, Not Only Ropes, with the aid of Davide Conti. It sets out his personal view of shibari/kinbaku.

There is a photograph on nearly every page; it includes some of my drawings of Andrea performing at Bound, mostly with Kitty Rea or Gestalta. People who just dwell on the illustrations will be missing out, however. Even though the book is not an instruction manual, Andrea's practical, frank approach in the bi-lingual text makes it essential for aspiring riggers. He also helps to explain the spectacle for the audience.

Someone I took to a Japanese rope bondage performance said it was like a battle re-enactment society - a self-confessed nerd-herd - so I was delighted to learn that Andrea takes part in Viking re-enactments.

Copy-editing on the English side isn't perfect. For example, why illustrate a comment about floorwork with a photograph of a suspension? And if you're checking the index for the redoubtable model Maya Homerton, see pages 44 and 45 rather than 41 and 42. But, leaving aside minor quibbles, this book will appeal to all strands of the shibari community, from anoraks to philosophers.











Not Only Ropes is available from andrearopes@gmail.com at €25 plus shipping from Italy.

Andrea and Gestalta at Bound

Detail from a spread