QuIRKS
QuIRKS – Queer International Rope & Kink Symposium
This page is where you can find all the information about the symposium, from presenters and their classes to program, useful resources and links, to publications after the conference.
Presenters
Mamana
Berlin
Co-daddy & programmer of @karada_house & @ohyesplz_, licensed therapist, queer, non-binary, neurospicy.
Jilian Christmas
Vancouver
Writer. Seeker. Travelling Circus. Books: The Gospel of Breaking. The Magic Shell.
Renée de Sans
Berlin
Visual Artist; Rope Practice & Teaching; Trans Woman, Co-Founder of karada_house.
Soya
Vancouver
eroticism is in the body; ecosexual & queering rope 繩縛舞動 @flowflow_space
Sophia Rose
London
Curator of sensory experiences & tactile learning.
Andrea Rimon & Nox
Chicago
FKA ApikorosRope. Queer. Latine. Jewish. Family Abolition. Movement Culture & Kinbaku.
Dusty Rhodes
Vancouver
queer, trans, leather | he/him (not a man) teaching & torturing in yvr.
Shiphrah Orbach
Vancouver
Shiphrah is a queer trans settler, multicultural grandchild of holocaust survivors, and ambulatory wheelchair user who is the lead coordinator for a local political education and mutual aid group for gender diverse people in the Vancouver area
Timetable
Classes
Cocoon
A cocoon isn’t meant to capture you. It’s meant to give you space to evolve. This session looks at that contradiction: how do we tie someone into a neat, intentional package while still leaving them space — physical, emotional, psychological — to breathe, soften, and feel safe? What makes restraint feel containing rather than confining? Does a cocoon need to involve the whole body, or can it be partial and still effective? We’ll experiment with nets, wraps, and shapes that create an inside — a place to retreat into — rather than something to fight against. The Cocoon explores: Rope as shelter rather than trap The balance between immobilisation and internal freedom How structure, pressure, and negative space change the emotional tone of a tie
Return to TimetableRope and Playfighting
It’s literally that: Shibari meets play fighting. Restrictions meets movement. Stupid fun shall ensue.
Return to TimetableMake me (W)Hole
People have holes. Holes are fun. They open and close. Then can be emptied and filled. They make noises, some are wet, some are not. Time to poke them and see what happens.
Return to TimetableHammer play
Hammers are surprisingly versatile tools. We’ll start with the simple and straightforward — how to choose target areas and gauge and control the force with which you’re hitting. Then we’ll move beyond hammers’ prototypically thuddy punch. We’ll cover how to use every part of a hammer or mallet for pressure points, body manipulation, and impact with a variety of different qualities. The most fun parts might surprise you. Bring Your Own Hammer (No hatchets! Single hand hammers only.)
Return to TimetableCharacter in Rope
All too often, we treat sex and play like they must necessarily involve confessions of our deepest, most authentic selves and desires. In this class, we’ll take a different approach. We’ll revel in art, artifice, and performance. We’ll think about character as a starting place for creativity and embodied relation. The work of character is the work of using categories to think and feel. So we’ll ask: what characters and categories are available to us? We’ll talk about the characters that are present in our play and what dynamics they bring. We’ll discuss dynamics we want to play with and how to embody them within new characters. We’ll explore together what playing with character affords.
Return to TimetableErotic Body (Mis)handling
In rope classes body manipulation is often taught to make things easier…smoother…for more cooperative and fluid transitions. In this session we will explore body handling from a different angle – turning towards discomfort, intensity and the erotic potential of pushing, pulling and using a body in awkward and challenging ways. We will play with using our whole bodies in combination with rope to find simple ways to use pressure, imbalance, and awkward or forced positioning to amplify power dynamics, physical intensity, and emotional charge.
Return to TimetableConfidence for Topping in Ropes
Can we just be real about the very real uncertainty and vulnerability that comes with holding space for someone else?! This is a class for anyone feeling unsure, anxious, or like they just keep fumbling their way through topping and not finding their flow- let’s build more confidence by exploring ideas and trying tools and tips to tap into more ease and fun in ways that feel simple and true to you This session will cover: – Ways to begin and ways to end: building rituals and soft structures to hold yourself and your scenes – Finding and playing with your unique sense of presence, authority and top space in ways that feel good and authentic to you – What to do when your mind goes blank, anxiety kicks in, or you forget what comes next – Shifting out of the default – ideas to expand your range if you get stuck doing the same thing or keep reverting to your comfort zone (but need more options!) – Is it ok? Is it safe? What if I fuck up!? Experimenting with confident ways to check in (and what to do when things aren’t going to plan) – Exercises to explore your pleasure – What do you want? What do you enjoy? Balancing your wants and needs as a top if you often find yourself oriented towards your partners wants and needs.
Return to TimetableEcosexuality and Food Play
What if touching grass is like caressing a lover’s hair? Lying on moss feels like being held by a close friend? This workshop explores ecosexuality and what it means to intimately connect to all beings. Join Cantonese ecoqueer Soya for a journey into expansive pleasure beyond human-centric, genital-focused narratives. It will start with a screening of Soya’s two short films, followed by an ecosexual story-telling time with discussions, and a play time with eco beings. You are encouraged to bring anything that makes you feel ecosexual/ecosensual, such as food and plants.
Return to TimetableBespoke Rope
Shape, Proportion, and Tailoring Your Ties Have you ever had the magical experience of finding a store where the clothes fit like they’re made exactly for you? Or (on the flip side) an existential dread evoked by the phrase “Shopping For Pants”? The harnesses we tie are basically rope clothes. Let’s talk about how (and how not) to make smart selections to help you find your fit before you even try them on.
Return to TimetableCNC: Pushing Boundaries on Purpose
Many of us are familiar with the concept of consensual nonconsent (CNC): a scenario where the folks involved agree to play that may appear nonconsensual. This can look like anything from using a safeword so “no” doesn’t mean “stop,” to roleplaying being made to do things you “don’t want,” to scenes with enacted violence like forced entry or kidnapping.
With such a wide range of things that can fall under CNC, individual approaches may vary wildly. In this class we will discuss how to negotiate for CNC and create the container for play. We will also cover what it can look like to push boundaries on purpose, and how that can feel as either a top or a bottom, as well as risk mitigation and managing self image as folks oriented towards this kind of play.
Resources
External Reading & Links- Studio Allegory Discord Discussions, questions, resources, community in and around Studio Allegory
- Karada House Karada House is a queer collaborative art space that researches the boundaries, intersectionalities and politics of body, art and the multitude of interactions between them.
- Deviations – Bookclub Kink does not exist in a vacuum. In Deviations, hosted by Karada House, Addie, Apikoros & Barkas will discuss historical and contemporary texts that have shaped kink, sexuality, and our understandings of ourselves.
- Symposium Playlist Some of the music played at the parties