VULNERABILITY

Conceptual work - Thoughts

Why is vulnerability looked at as a sign of weakness? where did this association come from? what happens if one truly embraces it and exposes themselves?

Vulnerability I believe has nothing to do with telling all of the secrets, but more about accepting ones own emotions and expressing that to those who have earned the right to hear it out. That openness can be quit a dynamic situation, it’s as if it plays with the notion of either you submit to the overwhelming state of that emotional expression or you can take the reins and take control. That image brought to mind the art of Shibari.

Shibari originated in Japan around the 1600s it was a rope tying technique used on prisoners so they can not escape, just with everything else humans have taken it and transformed it into a form of sexual play in the realm of BDSM. Creativity in all the strange ways, it’s now known as Kinbaku. Aside from the sexual bondage aspect of Shibari, the intricate ways of the how rope can be tied together to form eye catching patterns is awing. Hajime Kinoko red rope series is an example among many but his tree series where he ties detailed web like ropes from one branch to another is quite magical to see. How important is every knot is to the other to create a visual balance as well as actual physical support for the suspended cocooned human within the roped madness.

Hajime Shibari’s art work plays with vulnerability, with massive rope forms that one wishes to give in and be safely tucked away out of sight. Other works where the body that has no control over the positions and is roped up in its own cage.

That is what I would love to explore more, playing with the emotional representation of vulnerability from what can seem confined to openness.