EVENTS – ARCHIVE
TANTRA IN MOTION
This workshop brings movement to classical tantric massage. We demonstrate and practice how sensual tension can be built through various movement elements. Challenging stretches and powerful embraces, dynamic position changes, and the skillful use of gravity transform the massage into a horizontal dance. Clear, present guidance from the giver and the recipient’s willingness to be guided with pleasure and devotion are essential elements…
BONDAGE JAM ZURICH – SHIBARI AT SERRAT(U)S – with a Beginner's Introduction
serrat(u)s bodywork is opening its doors to the Shibari community. Anyone who feels like tying up with others, exchanging ideas, or simply watching and gaining some initial experience is warmly invited! The Japanese art of bondage is a fascinating physical practice that offers a wide range of physical, mental, and emotional experiences. Shibari shares many similarities with dance, yoga, and meditation, and possesses a performative and touching aesthetic…
FLINTA* ORGY
Intimacy with many—a luxurious abundance of bodies, glances, touches—ecstatic loss of self—an orgy… Anyone who has ever ventured into such a situation knows how multifaceted and unpredictable such an experience can be. If it’s not always easy even with just two people, how can it possibly work with more? What desires and needs, hopes and expectations do I bring with me, and how do I deal with them? And how do I deal with those of the others—and with all those bodies?
AUTHOR READING WITH BEATE ABSALON: NOT GIVING A FUCK – ON LUSTLESS SEX & SEXLESS LUST
In her quest to de-stress, Beate Absalon takes a culturally and historically grounded look at the secluded—yet only seemingly so—opposite side of sexuality: sexual aversion, asexuality, celibacy, and dysfunction, which delightfully refuse to submit to the duty of sexual service and open up unprecedented scope for exploration. Beate reads from her book, and we discuss what we’ve heard from her.
QUICKY ON A DONATION BASIS: (AN)OTHER INTIMACY – THE POWER OF PLAY
We’re putting this workshop together on the fly! Simply because we don’t want to let this weekend at Serrat(u)s go to waste. Let’s make the most of it in a playful way! That’s why this is an offer almost everyone can afford. More details in the event info :)
In POWER OF PLAY, we focus on play as a method and form of intimate and intense connection. The focus: How do interactions change when we consciously design them to be playful? What can we learn about ourselves through play? What happens when we set aside fixed goals, our self-criticism, and our expectations of ourselves, and instead focus on presence, spontaneity, and desire? As fellow explorers, we…
BONDAGE JAM ZURICH – SHIBARI AT SIHL13
sihl13 is opening its doors to the Shibari community. Anyone who’d like to tie up others, exchange ideas, or simply watch and gain some initial experience is warmly invited! The Japanese art of bondage is a fascinating physical practice that offers a wide range of physical, mental, and emotional experiences. Shibari shares much in common with dance, yoga, and meditation; it has a performative and touching aesthetic…
TANTRA – WITH A PINCH OF SALT – RETREAT IN SPAIN
Bodies…what can they do? Bring your body to us and we’ll find out. Using tantra massage as a springboard into the awkward, complex world of human relationships, we help you expand your physical awareness. This intense form of intimacy—a massage technique performed and received in the nude—holds so much human potential. This luxurious experience gives equal attention to every part of the body, creating space for whatever arises. With care and attention, we guide you through movement and meditative sessions that bring you into closer contact with yourself. From there, with humility and humor, we ask the question: is today’s erogenous zone your eyelashes or your ears, your feet or your asshole? Do you need a break or a debate, a hug or a slap in the face?
BONDAGE JAM ZURICH – SHIBARI AT SERRAT(U)S
serrat(u)s bodywork is opening its doors to the Shibari community. Anyone who feels like tying up with others, exchanging ideas, or simply watching and gaining some initial experience is warmly invited! The Japanese art of bondage is a fascinating physical practice that offers a wide range of physical, mental, and emotional experiences. Shibari shares many similarities with dance, yoga, and meditation, and possesses a performative and touching aesthetic…
BONDAGE JAM ZURICH – SHIBARI AT SERRAT(U)S
serrat(u)s bodywork is opening its doors to the Shibari community. Anyone who feels like tying up with others, exchanging ideas, or simply watching and gaining some initial experience is warmly invited! The Japanese art of bondage is a fascinating physical practice that offers a wide range of physical, mental, and emotional experiences. Shibari shares many similarities with dance, yoga, and meditation, and possesses a performative and touching aesthetic…
READING & DISCUSSION WITH BEATE ABSALON: NOT GIVING A FUCK – ON LUST-LESS SEX & SEX-LESS LUST
We’re thrilled that Beata will be presenting her book *NOT GIVING A FUCK* and reading from it at the QueerBooks bookstore in Bern! But above all, we’d love to chat with you—after all, this topic thrives on our many personal experiences with sexual performance pressure and our erotic attempts at delightfully refusing to comply.
(AN)OTHER INTIMACY – THE POWER OF PLAY
Intimacy that breaks free from set patterns and conventions is fantastic, creative, and unpredictable—which is what makes it so appealing, but also quite complex and challenging. In the (AN)OTHER INTIMACY workshops, we want to take this risk! In the POWER OF PLAY course, we turn up the intensity and raise the bar a bit, placing play—as a method and form of intimate and intense encounter—at the center of our focus. The focus: How do interactions change when we consciously design them to be playful? What can we learn about ourselves through play? What happens when we set aside fixed goals, our self-criticism, and our expectations of ourselves, and instead focus on presence, spontaneity, and desire? As fellow explorers, we will…
BONDAGE JAM ZURICH – SHIBARI AT SIHL13
sihl13 is opening its doors to the Shibari community. Anyone who’d like to tie up others, exchange ideas, or simply watch and gain some initial experience is warmly invited! The Japanese art of bondage is a fascinating physical practice that offers a wide range of physical, mental, and emotional experiences. Shibari shares much in common with dance, yoga, and meditation; it has a performative and touching aesthetic…
CANCELLED – BONDAGE JAM ZURICH – SHIBARI AT SERRAT(U)S
serrat(u)s bodywork is opening its doors to the Shibari community. Anyone who feels like tying up with others, exchanging ideas, or simply watching and gaining some initial experience is warmly invited! The Japanese art of bondage is a fascinating physical practice that offers a wide range of physical, mental, and emotional experiences. Shibari shares many similarities with dance, yoga, and meditation, and possesses a performative and touching aesthetic…
TOUCH & PLAY GERMANY 2024: True or False
Touch & Play is a sex-positive and BDSM-friendly Contact Improvisation Festival in Bavaria, Germany. This year’s theme: Authenticity is a confusing labyrinth. What seems shallow at first may reveal profound truths, while what appears genuine can turn out to be a mere facade. So is the unperformed always already performed? What does it mean to “fake it until you make it”? And if all the world’s a stage—how can we enjoy the show without falling into the traps of harmful illusions? When am I truly myself? What do you truly desire? How can we connect on a deeper level?
PHILOSOPHICAL COLLOQUIUM - BEATE ABSALON & EVA HANSEN: IN PRAISE OF SLOTH
Bodies and sex are stubborn. They don’t always do what’s asked of them. They go limp. They’re not in the mood. They shut down. Closed. Nope. No thanks! You can go to hell—or love me! That’s what we’ll explore this evening, as we view so-called “dysfunctions” as delightful acts of insubordination. As clever refusals of sexual duties. Beate Absalon and Eva Hanson guide us through this evening, where we can let things slide every now and then. In an atmosphere of cozy laziness, we’ll read from Beate’s debut non-fiction book “Not Giving a Fuck: On Listless Sex and Sexless Lust” and Eva’s response “Ode to the Flaccid Penis”…
SHIBARI BASICS FLOORWORK: SURRENDER & CONNECTION
This workshop—which, when combined with the Intro Day, is suitable for beginners—focuses on slowness, breathing, and body awareness as the foundation for mindful and trusting connection between the bonders. Through some bodywork, we develop our understanding of anatomy and lay the groundwork for reading other bodies and understanding ropes as a medium for nonverbal communication. This allows us to gently oscillate between our comfort zone and the edge of our experience.
SHIBARI BASICS – INTRODUCTORY DAY
Rope Bondage for Beginners. On this day, we’ll provide an easy and playful introduction for beginners, as well as a refresher for those who have already taken a beginner’s course and want to brush up on their skills. The focus will be on the basics of Japanese-style rope bondage.
BONDAGE JAM ZURICH – SHIBARI AT SERRAT(U)S
serrat(u)s bodywork is opening its doors to the Shibari community. Anyone who feels like tying up with others, exchanging ideas, or simply watching and gaining some initial experience is warmly invited! The Japanese art of bondage is a fascinating physical practice that offers a wide range of physical, mental, and emotional experiences. Shibari shares many similarities with dance, yoga, and meditation, and possesses a performative and touching aesthetic…
BONDAGE JAM ZURICH – SHIBARI AT SERRAT(U)S
serrat(u)s bodywork is opening its doors to the Shibari community. Anyone who feels like tying up with others, exchanging ideas, or simply watching and gaining some initial experience is warmly invited! The Japanese art of bondage is a fascinating physical practice that offers a wide range of physical, mental, and emotional experiences. Shibari shares many similarities with dance, yoga, and meditation, and possesses a performative and touching aesthetic…
NOT GIVING A FUCK – ON LUSTLESS SEX & SEXLESS LUST – Reading and Discussion with Beata
The bookstore LITERATURENSOHN isn’t just a brilliant name. Its owner, Coco, is fulfilling her dream of selling only books she has read herself and values so highly that she can recommend them wholeheartedly. So when you step into the store, it’s like walking into a carefully curated Pinterest board of exquisite queer-feminist literature. It’s a great honor that NOT GIVING A F*CK is not only sold here, but is also invited for a reading featuring an intimate, cozy conversation and refreshments.
BONDAGE JAM ZURICH – SHIBARI AT SERRAT(U)S
serrat(u)s bodywork is opening its doors to the Shibari community. Anyone who feels like tying up with others, exchanging ideas, or simply watching and gaining some initial experience is warmly invited! The Japanese art of bondage is a fascinating physical practice that offers a wide range of physical, mental, and emotional experiences. Shibari shares many similarities with dance, yoga, and meditation, and possesses a performative and touching aesthetic…
FLINTA* ORGY
Intimacy with many—a luxurious abundance of bodies, glances, touches—ecstatic loss of self—an orgy… Anyone who has ever ventured into such a situation knows how multifaceted and unpredictable such an experience can be. If it’s not always easy even with just two people, how can it possibly work with more? What desires and needs, hopes and expectations do I bring with me, and how do I deal with them? And how do I deal with those of the others—and with all those bodies?
NOT GIVING A FUCK – ON LUSTLESS SEX & SEXLESS LUST – Book Presentation & Reading
The Berlin-based cultural studies scholar BEATE ABSALON has been visiting Zurich for several years now, leading workshops under the label LUHMEN D'ARC. She published her first book in May and is now taking the opportunity to combine practice and theory: following a weekend-long workshop titled (AN)OTHER ORGY, she will present her debut work at GLEIS with a reading and a discussion with the audience.
(AN)OTHER ORGY
"A festival of unrestrained debauchery," says the Duden, "a nocturnal Bacchanalian celebration; sacred ritual; mystical worship service; secret cult gathering at night," says the etymological dictionary; "debauchery, revelry, licentiousness; (formal) excess, intemperance," says the thesaurus; "collective acts that deliberately violate social norms," says the Wikipedia entry. An orgy! So steeped in legend, and yet so simply beautiful—or even quite crude. In any case, a vast array of nebulous notions swirl through our cultural unconscious about what an orgy might be. It’s no wonder it’s on so many people’s bucket lists. Wait no longer! Our three-day…