Constructed Constraint

Constructed Constraint explores the intricate art of shibari ropework through various visual compositions. The series features an array of shibari ties and harnesses, capturing moments where the ropes contort, cradle, or hold together an invisible figure. The backgrounds are often starkly black, blank, or abstract, emphasizing the rope itself rather than the body it traditionally binds. This absence suggests a ghostly presence or perhaps directs attention to the artistry in the ropework, allowing the viewer to experience the ropes as an art form in their own right.

This ongoing series spans multiple media, with some pieces rendered on kraft paper postcards, while others are painted on canvas using thick black acrylic paint and UV-reactive fluorescent pens to detail the ropes. Water, pigment, and ink compositions also play a role, alongside works created on richly textured gel-printed backgrounds. These surfaces, dense with glazes and patterns, are designed to entice the senses—to make fingers itch to touch and mouths water with the desire to lick their tactile, bumpy surfaces.

The genesis of Constructed Constraint traces back to 2019, during a photo shoot with friends where I served as a second photographer, capturing candid moments. My friend Randal Cox, whose intricate and distinctive rope work was the first I ever got to see up close, was tying during this session. To better understand and appreciate his artistry, I began drawing the ropes and his hands guiding them, focusing solely on the rope’s form and movement.

Over time, I continued to draw the handiwork of Randal and other close friends, studying the anatomy of connection points and tension. Eventually, I got my own hands on some rope, finding that the practice itself began to make more sense as I connected the lines I had drawn to the tactile experience of tying. This series remains a study of anatomy and engineering as much as it is an artistic endeavor—a reflection on how the rope connects and holds the body together.