whyKnot
Rope association and space in Rome that, according to its founders, has hosted classes, events and workshops with international guest teachers since 2023, some also touching on other forms of BDSM.
whyKnot is a rope association and space in Rome. Two of its founders, Lily Gray Banshee and Alessandro Uch, were interviewed for a May 2025 Il Post feature on the spread of shibari in Italy, which reported that the space had hosted lessons, events and workshops with international guest teachers since 2023, some of them touching on other forms of BDSM. The same article listed Rome among the Italian cities with rope schools and groups, dated the first Italian courses to the early 2000s and reported that interest grew most strongly after the pandemic.
Approach
In the article both founders stressed how demanding the practice is. Lily Gray Banshee warned that greater visibility in mainstream culture draws people who do not grasp how dangerous shibari can be, and said it cannot be improvised. Alessandro Uch said many newcomers underestimate how hard it is to say what they want and do not want during a session, and how much psychological work consent in rope requires.
Activities
whyKnot has run full-day introductions for people approaching rope for the first time: an October 2024 events roundup listed a Saturday workshop from 10:00 to 18:00 at its space on Via Anassimandro, covering the first notions of shibari. Its group also performs in public. On 15 March 2024 it gave a performance at the opening of To The Bounds, an exhibition of shibari photographs by Marco L. Bonaventura at bar.lina in San Lorenzo, which ran for three days.
In November 2026 whyKnot’s website was still a pre-launch placeholder, so its current course and event schedule was not published there.