The Accidental Rigger

The Accidental Rigger is the working name of a rope professional introduced as Mel in the two biographies cited here. The Shibari Score Notation board page says the Accidental Rigger began as a rope bottom and model before dedicating years to tying others.

Rope work

The Rope Podcast, which interviewed the Accidental Rigger in two episodes in July and August 2023, gives the early steps: treating rope for the shibari shop of Anatomie Studio, modeling for classes and assisting in classes for rope bottoms. After years of study with a range of practitioners, the podcast says, the Accidental Rigger became a teacher of both riggers and bottoms, and since 2021 has offered rope customization and education as well as rigging for productions and events. The podcast sums up the teaching approach as working with each student as an individual and encouraging curiosity, and quotes a description of the style as meeting bottoms where they are and giving them what they need.

The first episode was about the work of a house rigger: what the role involves, its advantages, risks and discomforts, and what it taught the Accidental Rigger, including about a more service-minded side expressed through topping. It also covered the move into rope maintenance and the ways a rope kit can be customized. The second episode turned to rope care: how to store rope that is used often or rarely, whether rope that has touched bodily fluids can be cleaned, the risks of wet rope, how to watch for signs that rope may break, and the story behind the name.

Shibari Score Notation

The Accidental Rigger sits on the board of the Shibari Score Notation, a written system for recording and composing sequences of shibari created by Anna Noctuelle. The project’s page lists the Accidental Rigger as a certified teacher of the system, which it teaches through online classes, one- and two-day in-person intensives and private lessons.