IKSK - Institut für Körperforschung und sexuelle Kultur
Body-research institute on the Holzmarkt site whose rope programme, led by Felix Ruckert and guests, includes a Tuesday drop-in class for absolute beginners, a seven-step Wednesday basics series and an open Tuesday bondage jam. It is also a home base for the EURIX rope exchange.
IKSK, the Institute for Body Research and Sexual Culture, was opened in October 2020 by the choreographer Felix Ruckert on the Holzmarkt site by the Spree. Ruckert previously ran schwelle7 (2007–2016), a venue for participatory body practices that hosted Japanese kinbaku teachers and a weekly bondage jam, and Dock 11’s portrait of him credits him with helping to make shibari better known in Europe. IKSK’s program is published in German and English and also includes play parties and body-work and sexuality workshops.
Bondage by Felix
The rope program runs under the name Bondage by Felix, taught by Ruckert and guests. Absolute Beginners is a drop-in class every Tuesday afternoon that needs no registration (€15 as listed in November 2026); it covers basic knots and patterns, rope handling, how to shape a session and somatic tools. Bondage Basics, on Wednesdays, is for advanced beginners who have attended Absolute Beginners several times or a weekend beginner intensive, or who can already tie a single column tie and a simple futomomo plus, according to the German text, frictions or, according to the English text, a two-rope takate kote; its steps move from three-rope takate kote variations through hip harnesses, chest harnesses with free arms, mermaid and futomomo shapes to upline practice and combinations for half and full suspensions. Students can take single steps and join at any point. Suspension Practice is an open class on some Fridays with a different Berlin teacher each time, covering traditional shibari and newer ideas with a focus on suspensions and transitions. The institute says switching roles is welcome and that people without a partner can come if they are willing to tie with others in the group.
Jam and EURIX
Every Tuesday evening IKSK opens for a bondage jam, an open practice welcoming everybody (€10). It is also linked to EURIX, the European Rigger & Model Exchange that Ruckert started in autumn 2012: a week of workshops, jams and research twice a year, in spring and autumn, held in the Holzmarkt area, with paid master classes in the IKSK space on the fourth floor. EURIX admits intermediate and advanced riggers and models by application, and its Thursday and Friday jams and performance evenings are open to the public.