Getting Knotty with KinkMen Shibari Artist Marshall Bradford

April 16, 2023
AJ SLOAN

Tie me up, tie me down. That is the name of the game with Shibari artist and photographer Marshall Bradford. Marshall is an expert in the art of rope to say the very least. He has been quite busy tying up guys and gals for his photography and also for KinkMen.com. I recently had the restricting pleasure of getting roped up by Marshall for a KinkMen shoot, and I can tell you firsthand that the only part of me that could move was... well, you know. Marshall made the entire thing a great (and safe) experience. With my interest peaked, I decided to interrogate the man.

For those who are unfamiliar, tell us a little about the art of Shibari.

Shibari is the Japanese art of erotic rope tying. It involves tying patterns in rope on a body to either add stress to the body on the ground or raise them in the air and suspend them. That’s the most basic answer. Beyond that, there’s so much more involving the connection between both of the participants.

How did you first tip your toes in the art of tying?

I started about 14 years ago through photography. I was working in a photography studio and wanted to start shooting something different from what I had been doing there. I always liked the visual look of rope bondage and wanted to try it out.

What do you find beautiful about Shibari?

Everything. I love the patterns of the rope, the feel of the rope in my hand as I tie, and the connection between myself and the person I’m tying. When done right it’s just beautiful.

: Photo courtesy of KinkMen.

What are the top three things that make a model easy to work with?

I think it really depends on the type of work you want to do. It has less to do with just the model and more to do with the relationship between you and the model and how well you can make someone comfortable to produce different types of work. If you were talking about extreme rope bondage kind of imagery and just the physical aspect necessary to do it then someone who has an understanding of their body and how far they can push themselves is extremely helpful. If you’re talking about erotic photography that involves rope bondage, then confidence is probably the best thing. Someone confident in my opinion exudes something that makes them extremely attractive visually. Really there are tons of different things that can make a successful photo shoot when it comes to this type of work.

: Photo courtesy of KinkMen.

Can you share any horror stories or mishaps that have occurred when tying someone up?

I think that probably the worst mishap I’ve ever had was when I was tying someone for one of my photo shoots. It was the model's first time being in rope. They were naturally nervous, which, of course, you would be. They went drinking to calm their nerves before showing up and I didn’t smell it on them. I put them up in a fairly simple suspension from three points, the Superman pose, because you were basically horizontal. After a couple of minutes, she said she wasn’t feeling well so I started to bring her down, and in the process of bringing her down, she threw up all over me, my studio, all the ropes that I had on her, everywhere. I cut all the rope off of them. It was a very long day. Lol.

I’ve had to cut the rope to release people from ties on a few occasions, mostly because they were overheating themselves or just feeling sick in general. It happens, nothing ever was too scary. You just get them down as quickly as possible and make sure that they’re OK. Any rope top who says they don’t have a mishap story or something like that kind of thing either hasn’t been doing it long enough or probably just doesn’t want to talk about their mistakes.

Are there any misconceptions about Shibari that you’d like to take the time to debunk?

There are a few. One is that Shibari is some ancient Japanese practice. It is not. It began in the 1940s and it’s progressed to what it is today. It does pull on things from past artwork and style but its roots are not technically that deep.

One thing that I would like to promote is the idea that anybody and everybody can enjoy Shibari and rope bondage. Rope is such a pliable medium to play with that it can fit any body type, and it can be utilized in a myriad of different styles to create scenes that are vastly different from each other, and equally erotic, you can be any body type any gender and still enjoy rope from either side whether it’s being tied up or being tied. That’s one of the things that I absolutely love about it.

Do you find KinkMen to be an honest representation of Shibari and the kink community?

I think they do a good job of utilizing aspects of Shibari in their videos, but Shibari in and of itself sometimes doesn’t involve sex at all. But I don’t think there’s much of a place for videos like that. I would love to see it but it’s probably not viable. I do like the fact that they use a lot of the behind-the-scenes aspects involved in Shibari between the person tying and the bottom. They are definitely taking a look very seriously and keeping it safe for the performers while still looking cool and exciting for the viewers.

What has been one of your more memorable shoots with Kinkmen?

I don’t know that I have one that sticks out more than any of the others. I enjoy all the stuff that I’ve done with them. The talent has been great to work with, and everybody has always been amazing and very professional.

What is one thing you’d like us to take away with us about Shibari if nothing else?

I would like everyone to understand that Shibari is for everyone. Rope is an amazing kink and can unlock so many things in your mind and body. Some people use it for spiritual release, some people use it just simply for physical release. It encompasses everything. There are so many facets to it, and finding your own place with rope is super fun. That’s probably a little too far on the “wooo” side of things but it’s what I think. I really feel like there is a rope style for everyone.