Daruma
Dedicated shibari studio run by Gestalta, built around six-week Step 1-3 courses that lead from first knots to basic suspension, plus drop-in beginner classes, open practice and guest-teacher weekends.
Daruma is the studio of the rope artist and teacher Gestalta, who first encountered shibari in 2007, began using it in performance around 2009 and opened Daruma in January 2024 as a space for practice and performance. Gestalta’s biography lists earlier work such as the Cirque Shibari research project in Berlin (2014), a piece for the Akechi Denki 10th anniversary memorial in Tokyo (2015), the book Shibari Suspensions (2019) and an MA in Fine Art from the University of Leeds (2022) that examined shibari in performance and its links with Butoh.
Classes and levels
The core program is a three-step series designed by Gestalta. Step 1, Elements, is the only course open to complete beginners and covers knots, frictions, patterns, harnesses, rope handling and tension, ending with a short rope scene. Step 2, Structures, adds more technical elements, safety knowledge, basic harnesses that can be suspended and floor ties used in play. Step 3 turns to uplines and partial suspension, alternating between a suspension ring and bamboo from one run to the next; the studio suggests taking it twice. Each step runs as a closed six-week group on Monday or Tuesday evenings or as a two-day weekend intensive. On Wednesdays, intermediate students have tutor-led open practice and classes on floor, suspension or hashira ties, and study groups go deeper into suspension and session-building.
Jams, guests and access
The Rope Jam, Daruma’s rope jam, meets every Thursday evening and is open to all levels; studio rope can be borrowed for floor tying, while suspension classes require your own rope. Guest weekends bring visiting teachers: as of November 2026 the calendar lists, among others, Kirigami and Tenshiko (11–13 December 2026), Joan von Brook and Nikoleta (late January 2027), and Petr Soptík and Sansei (late February 2027). Nocturnes are small performance salons held at the studio.
The FAQ describes Gestalta’s teaching as a blend of styles rather than one school, with attention to body awareness, body mechanics and adapting ties to the partner. Most classes and the jam can be attended alone. Tickets are sliding-scale (low-income, regular and supporter) with no proof of income required. The studio is queer-owned but not exclusively queer, is reached by 13 steps with no elevator, and visits are by booking only. In November 2026 the site announced that the studio is moving. Daruma also sells hand-treated jute rope.