She came, like so many have before her, literally unannounced and figuratively, out of the blue. A somewhat strangely timed and happenstance encounter during a large Fetish convention (ShibariCon in Chicago) was the catalyst that propelled this diminutive, gregarious and energetic flower to indeed (and you’ll excuse the gardenistic superlatives), bloom. A scant ten months ago, no-one had ever heard of her. Now, she is on the verge of becoming the next great, “in demand” rope bondage artist of our time.

There is little doubt that the majority of you have definitely seen her work – if you are an admirer of all things bondage. Her photos have been copied, traded and pasted on Fetish-related websites, and social media websites, for months now. What she does certainly isn’t unusual itself by any means: other, more notable names have published books and self-promoted themselves ad nauseum regarding the artistry inherent to any form of rope bondage. Other notable, high profile fetish personalities have specialized in publishing works that brought the seductive, nearly-meditative and specialized qualities associated with Japanese rope bondage to the forefront of our attentions. But what this particular fresh and aforementioned new sensation does within the realm of rope bondage enthusiasts is, truly, very unique: she does it to herself. While she is an accomplished and self-described “rope top” in her own right, she usually isn’t known for having a willing subject to secure and “have fly” for an appreciative audience. Other self-bondage artists have come before her, to be sure – but few (if any) have displayed the technical expertise; the intense, artistic raw beauty of both her performance itself and the finished “package” (when she has completed suspending herself); and the jaw-dropping speed in which she manages to safely display her sleek, bound feminine form.

We are discussing a beautiful young lady who is known in artistic bondage circles as none other than Lotuslily. She has already developed a massive following across the United States and Canada, and is starting to gain significant attention from our “stodgier than thou” cousins in Europe and Asia. While it is certainly true that Lotuslily has (inadvertantly and without intention) ruffled certain members of the “bondage establishment’s” feathers, it is equally true that noted Masters in the artform, including no less an authority than “M” from the revered Demonsix Group (himself a student of the incomparable Master “K”), has described her efforts as “very promising work here, (with) great aesthetic and design.” “M” has encouraged Lotuslily to ”continue working with Kinbaku” and that her “work is looking like some of the most promising work I have seen in North America in a long time.”

(Author’s Note: There is a common and wrong perception that the word Shibari is the term for Japanese rope bondage. It’s not: The actual term is Kinbaku, which in Japanese literally means “erotic bondage”. The word Shibari, like almost all misappropriated terminologies in our lifestyle, caught on in the 1990′s due to an error in translation on some rope enthusiast early websites and such, and has been propogated as accepted fact – even amongst gigantic trade show organizers. Shibari, in Japanese and in current context, literally means “to tie” – but it refers to a certain tie that is used when using twine or string to artfully tie up packages. While technically Shibari could be  loosely interpreted as being associated with tying up people, to the purist it isn’t correct. Just because it’s become part of the modern lexicon still doesn’t make it “accurate”. The correct and appropriate term for Japanese Erotic Bondage is, and forever shall be, Kinbaku.)

Her meteroric rise to prominence began innocently enough. As a child, she professes to have had a somewhat obsessive  fascination with puzzles. It became a tradition during gift-giving seasons to always ensure that she had a puzzle or two to ponder – and she would sit endlessly, hours upon hours (“except for eating and sleeping”, she said) until she managed to solve and complete the puzzle. Naturally, as she grew to maturity, so did the complexity of the puzzles she loved to tackle. Smaller, hand-held puzzles gave way to larger, table-top monstrosities – the completed 3-D statue and landmark versions began to fill every shelf in the family home – and she was fascinated at the intricacies by which each precision piece was cut in and placed in order to form a seamless work of art. She also appreciated the fact that viewing the Cathedral of Notre Dame, for instance, even in puzzle form, from different angles and perspectives held a breathtaking beauty all of its own.

Her exploration with Japanese bondage, in her own words, began as a somewhat natural extension of both the beauty of the puzzle itself, and the beauty of the completed product. “I’ve moved from static pieces and models to beautiful, living, pieces of art,” she said. “Flesh and rope have replaced cardboard and foam. I can ‘see’ the final vision in the piece I am working towards.” Self-bondage was not where Lotuslily (and you’ll pardon the obvious), “learned the ropes”. She found a simple and “great joy” in being initially bound by expert partners. In her own words, the experience of being bound for pleasure was “incredibly powerful.”

She soon found, however, that in order to grow and be true to the aesthetic that she had quickly come to embrace, if she wanted to give her art to the en mass fetish world, she would need to do one (or both) of two things: she would need to show her skill and talent by tying and suspending willing subjects, or she would need to tie and suspend herself. She chose to do both – and while her skills as a bondage “top” are formidable and are more than enough to satiate the desires of a crowd of curious onlookers, it is in her self-bondage performances where Lotuslily really produces mesmorizing performances. In essence, her body is a blank canvas, her jute rope her brushes, and the entire performance space her stark canvas.

There is no way to adequately provide a justifiable description of just how … beautiful … it is to watch Lotuslily craft one of her self-suspension Kinbaku performances. When she quietly entered the public performance scene just a few short months ago, she immediately began to turn heads. Small, impromptu “demonstrations” at Fetish Nights evolved into more organized, full-scale “happenings” (she was undeniably the “hit” of the Everything To Do With Sex Show, a huge three-day, fun-filled convention surrounding our “favorite physical pastime”, in both Toronto, Ontario and Halifax, Nova Scotia) where turned heads gave way to dropped jaws, popping eyes and ultimately stunned, appreciative, silent and absolute respectful awe for what the massive audiences had just viewed unfolding before them.

To try to put into mere words the beauty, power and magic that is on display when Lotuslily performs one of her self-bondage routines would not be enough to do the lady, and her artform, justice. Sometimes, no matter how talented the wordsmith, there just aren’t enough combinations of vowels and consonants stringed together that could adequately describe just how incredibly mind-blowing it is to watch her perform. It isn’t just the procedure of wrapping the rope and tying the various knots that she uses to “fly” for her spellbound crowd: it’s the speed in which she does so. Watching Lotuslily perform is part aerial ballet (think Cirque du Soleil); part meticulous engineering (there is an absolute beauty in suspension bridges, is there not? Same thing here.); and part pure athletic expression (she might put some Olympic gymnasts to shame, in how effortless and seamless her movements are). In short, in order to get a full appreciation of what sets Lotuslily apart from all the bondage artists who have come and gone before her, you simply have to see her art.

“I cannot find words that truly capture what I feel when I tie myself,” Lotuslily said. “I’m told that it’s peaceful to watch. I suppose in some senses, I find myself in a meditative state. I rarely think of much else other than the technical parts of the ties. But increasing practice brings muscle memory to my fingers, and technicality is of less importance. I often recall precious moments, partners, loves, and smile softly at the moments. Occasionally, I’m so overwhelmed with emotion that it brings tears to my eyes.”

Kardynyl SynysTyr

(Those in the Southern Ontario region can see Lotuslily perform at the Northbound Leather 20th Anniversary Event, at Club Revival, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Saturday, February 20th, 2010. Tickets are available through Northbound Leather and at the door.)