Some events stay with you because of the venue.
Some because of the people.
Some because of the rope.
KinkOn Fest 2026 managed to combine all three.
At the end of June I travelled to Bologna, Italy, to teach two RopeMarks masterclasses: Playful and Dirty Kinbaku, Part 1: Filthy Foundations and Part 2: Bound to Bamboo. Both classes were built around an idea that has been growing in my teaching for years: patterns are only the beginning. The real scene happens in how you use them.
The timing could hardly have been more challenging.
During the festival, Bologna was in the middle of an exceptional heatwave. Regional authorities issued heat alerts as temperatures climbed 39, 40°C and above across the Bologna area. Teaching, tying, concentrating, and staying hydrated suddenly became just as important as rope itself.
Despite the heat, both workshops were filled with enthusiastic participants who refused to let the temperature dictate the atmosphere. There is something strangely motivating about watching a room full of sweaty rope nerds happily continue tying while occasionally reminding each other to drink water.
A huge part of making these classes successful was my model, Clementine Poulain.
Every teacher knows that a good model quietly carries half the workshop. A great model carries even more. Clementine understood exactly what I wanted to communicate, not only technically, but emotionally. She made every demonstration feel natural, reacted honestly, helped create the right atmosphere, and somehow remained graceful despite the heat.
Thank you, Clem. You were awesome.
The workshops themselves also confirmed something I had been suspecting for a while.
Three hours is not enough to teach “more.”
It is enough to teach deeper, so that is what I did.
Rather than rushing through a long list of techniques, we stayed with just a few ties and explored what happened inside them. We looked at body handling, intention, exposure, timing, playfulness, and the little moments between the knots that often define kinbaku far more than the rope itself.
Every festival teaches me something as an instructor. This one reminded me that reducing the amount of time increases the quality of the experience.
And then there was the aftermath, damage:
- Two ropes.
- Model physically unharmed,
- but mentally changed forever.
I’ll let you decide whether that last part should be considered damage or a successful workshop.
Thank you to Andrea Ropes and the entire KinkOn team for the invitation, the hospitality, and the trust. It was a pleasure to be part of the festival, and I hope these masterclasses will return in the future.
Until next time.
Bob
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