Short Bamboo Restraint Systems
7:00 – 10:00 PM on Wednesday, October 14
$150-250/pair or $50/auditor
Short bamboo rods can transform the structure, intensity, and spatial dynamics of grounded rope restraint. Compact and responsive, they can act as extensions of the hands, rigid anchors, levers, or frameworks through which pressure and movement are
directed.
In this three-hour intermediate workshop, Mosaic Cat & her partner will explore ways of combining short bamboo rods with rope to create systems for limb fixation, leverage, controlled compression, breath-aware restraint, and dynamic positioning – all without using suspension.
Rather than treating bamboo as a decorative addition, the class approaches it as a structural tool. We will examine how its rigidity changes the distribution of tension, how small adjustments can produce significant changes in posture and sensation, and how bamboo can create restraint that is compact, adaptable, and visually expressive. The focus will be on principles and modular structures that participants can adapt to
different bodies and scenes, rather than on reproducing a single fixed pattern.
The workshop will include demonstrations, guided practice, time for experimentation, and opportunities to ask questions.
Instructor Bio:
Mosaic Cat (Maomao) began her Shibari journey in Taiwan in 2017. She immersed herself in both classical Japanese traditions and contemporary European techniques under Maya, Soa, and Kobayashi Nawagiri. Her practice combines both classical Japanese-inspired kinbaku and contemporary European rope approaches.
After returning to Shanghai in 2019, she became an active force in the rope community, organizing workshops, curating events, and nurturing a growing network of rope practitioners. To date, she has taught over 500 students and performed in more than 100 Shibari shows. She has also been invited by the German rope education organization Karada House for online teaching and performance collaborations.
Her style is marked by precision, versatility, and a drive for continuous innovation. Seamlessly blending rope with narrative, experimental performance, and installation art, Maomao ensures that each of her presentations delivers something new,
challenging expectations and expanding the possibilities of rope as an artistic medium. Beyond performance, she creates rope-based installations and photographic artworks that have been exhibited in cities throughout China, as well as in Germany and the UK. Her artistic voice navigates a compelling space between tradition and experimentation, offering work that is both rooted and radically original.