The touch of leather...

From the moment I first encountered Robert Mapplethorpe's "Self-Portrait with bull-whip" (1978) I thought leather chaps were the sexiest thing I'd ever seen (I don't have permission to reproduce that image so you'll need to click on that link to see it).

Everyone else checking out "Self-Portrait with bull-whip" - which was part of Mapplethorpe's X Portfolio series and sparked national attention in the early 1990s when it was included in the National Endowment for the Arts' traveling exhibition Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Moment - seemed to focus on the bullwhip up the photographer's ass. Funny, that *grin*. And I agree. It turned me on to the potential of bullwhips as well as anuses, LOL.

But what I found most erotic of all was the very simple lacing at the back of Mapplethorpe's black leather chaps...

That photograph made me feel I could almost smell and touch the leather garments Mapplethorpe was wearing ... the softness of the supple leather in some parts, the high sheen on other parts. And the leather cords themselves, laced at the back, hanging down like a flogger's falls. Mapplethorpe took the idea of the leather cords even further in another photograph "Untitled Self Portrait" (1973) where a taut leather strip emerges from between his ass cheeks. Now THAT was another hot photo. So simple, but so erotic...

It made perfect sense to me, when I started exploring BDSM, that a leather subculture was so much a part of it. Although of course as Wiki points out, trying to define the traditions of that subculture have become exceedingly tricky:

"Throughout the history of the leather subculture, a variety of traditions have been observed, often diligently. While most or all are based on military protocols and ritual, these traditions varied widely between regions, causing much debate today over which traditions are the "original" or "true" traditions, or whether the "romantisised versions of leather history" ever existed at all.

"As time has progressed and BDSM has become more mainstream (see below), the traditions of leather has adapted. The first major evolution has become known as "New Leather" or "New Guard". However, even this is the subject of some disagreement, as many noted authors and historians assert that there is little or no substantive differences. Today, the leather subculture is one of many facets to semi-organized alternative sexuality"

It's certainly a fascinating subject. And the internet has a major role in it. As they say on the BDSM Debunking The Myth's site:

"We are re-creating a culture's history through the legend and myth of 'oft told tales' on the web"

If leather subculture history interests you as well, you can read more about it via the links in the References and Online Resources section at the end of this post.

But leather is an expensive beast. So (with the exception of a few games with leather laces) my own experiencing of wearing tight, laced leather didn't happen until last year, during a visit to Marquis De Sade's in Melbourne. The result was this:


That leather corset is the most erotic thing I've ever owned and worn. I've worn other corsets before and absolutely adored them. But they were fabric. This one is the softest, softest leather. Every time I wear it and look down and see how the lacing cord cuts across the top of my breasts, my breath catches ... and no, that's not because I'm wearing the corset too tight!

This is why I was delighted when, after doing some IT work for S(A)X recently, sol brought home a stunning pair of S(A)X's lace up leather chaps. And when I say "lace up" I don't just mean at the back. These chaps have a seriously labor intensive design:

With lacing down each side:


Doesn't sol look amazing in them? That ass is oh soooo tempting, framed in those soft black leather!

As Mapplethorpe's photos show, chaps have been a part of the leather fetish scene for many years. Wiki has a good page outlining the history of the garment, and it's various (mostly vanilla) uses and styles:

"Chaps are sturdy coverings for the legs consisting of leggings and a belt. They are buckled on over trousers with the chaps' integrated belt, but unlike trousers they have no seat and are not joined at the crotch. They are designed to provide protection for the legs and are usually made of leather or a leather-like material"

In Australia, chaps may be made of oilskin rather than leather.

"They are most commonly associated with the cowboy culture of the American west as a protective garment to be used when riding a horse through brushy terrain. In the modern world, they are worn for both practical work purposes and for exhibition or show use...

What about non equestrian uses?

"Motorcycle chaps are ... usually made of leather with the smooth side out, and generally provide all-around protection for the leg and have side zippers to allow them to be put on easily. They are popular in the biker subculture, providing protection from the wind and cold as well as partial protection from cuts and scrapes in the event of a fall to the roadway.

Chainsaw chaps are a component of Chainsaw safety clothing. They are made of strong materials like kevlar and protect the legs from injury. A similar style, though of different materials, is sold to hunters and other outdoor sportsmen for protection from rattlesnake bites. Outside of snake country, bird hunters often wear "upland chaps" made of waxed cotton or nylon to protect their legs from briars and thorns."

And then of course:

"Chaps are also popular in fetish fashion and the leather subculture, where they often are tightly fitted and worn without jeans or other garments layered beneath them other than a codpiece. They can be made of leather, patent leather, or vinyl and are worn for decoration serving no protective purpose. Worn in this manner, they are colloquially referred to as "assless" chaps"

There are lots of different styles. Sol's are a fetish example of what's called the "shotgun" or "stovepipes":

"Shotgun chaps, sometimes called "Stovepipes", were so named because the legs are straight and narrow. They were the earliest design used by Texas cowboys, in wide use by the late 1870s. Each leg is cut from a single piece of leather. Their fit is snug, wrapping completely around the leg. They have full-length zippers running along the outside of the leg from the thigh to just above the ankle..."

In sol's case - as with other fetish styles - the zippers are on the inside, allowing the outside to feature lacings. The legs fit sol very tightly and look very sexy:


There are also D latches on each side, to which we've attached carabiners:


Which are great to attach sol's cuffs to:


While he can still reach his cock, with the CB6000 on, he's not going to feel much!:


They not only make sol look good, the chaps are infinitely practical. They are great for play, leaving the genitals and ass uncovered - in fact the chaps also provide protection against wrapping from corporal punishment instruments. I'll be posting soon about a scene where sol wore them while we tried out a new cane from S(A)X.

They are great for outdoor play as well as sub hunting, providing excellent protection for the legs. Sol even looks sexy hitting tennis balls to the Xmas Present:


S(A)X isn't making these chaps anymore, so I'm very very glad this very special pair have found a home with us :)


REFERENCES AND ONLINE RESOURCES

Leather subculture history is an enormous topic, so I'm just providing some basic references and sources here. Refer to each author's own citation and reference list for further reading.

Ambrosio "Marginalia on the Old Guard, Leather Traditions, and BDSM History"

Guy Baldwin

• "THE OLD GUARD (The History of Leather Traditions)"
• "The Leather Restoration: Sacred Cows Make the best Hamburger"
  

BDSM Debunking The Myths Retrospective On The Old Guard

Joseph Bean "BDSM -- Old Guard? If You say so."

Pat Califia

• "A Personal View of the History of the Lesbian S/M Community and Movement in San Francisco". in: Coming to Power: Writings and Graphics on Lesbian S/M
• Sapphistry: The book of lesbian sexuality, Naiad Press, 1988, ISBN 0-941483-24-X
• Speaking Sex to Power: The Politics of Queer Sex (Essays), Cleis Press, 2001, ISBN 1-57344-132-5

Pat Califia (Hrsg.), Robin Sweeney (Hrsg.): The Second Coming: A Leatherdyke Reader. Alyson Pubns, 1996, ISBN 1555832814

Hardy Haberman Changing Of The Guard

Richard Meyer Imaging Sadomasochism: Robert Mapplethorpe and the Masquerade of Photography

David Masterson Why Old Guard?

Jack Rinella

• Interview with Tony DeBlase
  
• "The Myth of the Old Guard". LeatherViews

Gayle Rubin

• "Old Guard, New Guard". Cuir Underground
• Leather Times, Samois 2004, 21:3-7. Online unter leatherarchives.org
• Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality. In: Henry Abelove u.a. (Ed.): The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader, New York (Routledge). 1993. (1st Ed. 1984.)
• Samois, in Marc Stein (Hrsg.), Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History in America, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2003. PDF download
• The Valley of the Kings: Leathermen in San Francisco, 1960-1990., 1994, Dissertation Abstracts International, 56 (01A), 0249. (UMI No. 9513472).
• Sites, Settlements, and Urban Sex: Archaeology And The Study of Gay Leathermen in San Francisco 1955-1995, in Robert Schmidt and Barbara Voss (Ed.): Archaeologies of Sexuality, London, Routledge, 2000, ISBN 0415223652
• From the Past: The Outcasts from the newsletter of the Leather Archives & Museum No. 4, April 1998
  

slave david stein "History of Our Leather-S/M-Fetish Subculture and Communities: towards a bibliography"

Mark Thompson ed, "Leatherfolk - radical sex, people, politics, and practice" Alyson Books 1991

Larry Townsend "Leatherman's Handbook" silver jubilee edition, 1997 LT Productions

Wiki - Chaps
Wiki - Leather subculture

Jay Wiseman. "An Essay About "the Old Days"

SITE LINKS:

• S(A)X
  
• International Mr. Leather
• Leather Archives & Museum
• Leather History Timeline from LA&M
• The Sydney Leather Pride Association (Australia)
• International Ms Leather
• Fetlife - Leather Lifestyle group
• Yahoo - Leather History group
  

Thank You:
Steve at S(A)X

Photos:
Ms160
solipsist

Balls and more balls (gifts from kinky friends)

There is something very special in receiving gifts from kinky friends. Especially unexpected ones.

The Most Erotic Blogger On The Internet very kindly brought me chocolates at our last Fetlife Northern NSW group munch last Sunday. And they were seriously yummy (so were her shoes). But when I got home I found myself grinning as I scoffed them because the chocolates in question were rather large ... well, let's be honest ... balls:


I think it's a very nice idea, one female Dominant giving another female Dominant chocolate balls. Inspiring. It gets one thinking about what you can do to them, about one's favorite CBT moments, and other kinky interests shared....

So now I'm planning to gift Ferns some interesting chocolate in return at Xmas time. Hmmm. I wonder if she's seen that Karma Sutra chocolate they sell in Byron Bay:


Next day, more unexpected ... but also ball related ... presents arrived.

Now, most days sol picks up the mail but this particular day I was heading into town with a long wait for an emergency dental appointment planned, and so I took the morning's mail with me, to go through while I waited. A perfect day for a surprise, in other words.

I saw with delight there was a small parcel from our friends MistressAmor and poppet. They'd recently holidayed in Italy and I'd wistfully posted on their blog, begging for a postcard. Here indeed was my postcard ... and with presents attached.

I remember on my first trip to Florence years ago now how much I'd been amused by postcards being sold of not just Michelangelo's David but of Michelangelo's David's genitals:


And they are really really big sellers, those postcards, whether "decorated" like the one above or just ... er ... natural.

Since that visit I've attended some interesting cultural conferences and read some interesting papers on the David phenomena (I highly recommend a read of David Gunn's paper "Covering David: Michelangelo's David from the Piazza della Signoria to My Refrigerator Door"). In fact, why don't I share my favorite David tourist crap item with you:


Yes it's truly the Rocky Horror David. And at such a good price LOLOL. Anyway, it seems the popularity of David's dick has resulted in postcards with all sorts of Italian sculptural genitals on them:


And now you can also purchase similarly themed calendars. Which is what our friends did, for us. What a thoughtful present!:


And really, you know your kinky friends are the ones who'll appreciate such a gift best *grin*.

So, thank you Ferns for the inspirational chocolate :). And thank you MistressAmor and poppet - your gift will grace our wall during 2011, and every time we turn to a new month we'll definitely think of you both!

Photos:
Ms160
Karma Sutra Chocolate courtesy The Chocolate Box
David Says Ciao from Wish You Were Here
Italian sculptural cocks postcard courtesy Blaghag.com "best postcard ever"
Rocky Horror David Courtesy Dale Sorenson

Happy LOL Day, Lurkers :)

sol puts the Xmas Present in bondage,
then torments her with a ball...

It's Love Our Lurkers Day, the fifth of it's kind, as originally devised by Bonnie, who writes:

We're back again for our annual Love Our Lurkers celebration. Welcome to old friends and new alike. This is our community's way of sharing the love with our silent readers. I know from my statistics that there are thousands of readers who don't comment. If you are among this group, then today is for your day!

During last year's event, 144 spanking-oriented blogs posted LOL messages and they received 2,627 comments. Better still, we met many, many great people. Quite a few remain regular readers to this day. Several have become successful bloggers in their own right.

While we may not see your face or read your words, we know you're out there. Even in silence, your return visits provide a gentle affirmation.

So, from solipsist and myself (and of course The Xmas Present):

Thank you for your visits, both at this blog and the BDSM For Beginners one . Whether this is your first visit or one of many, we greatly appreciate your dropping by :)

(photo: Ms160)

"Cock" Island trip + hunt plans...

Wiki photo of Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour

I recently posted this on Fetlife in my Outdoor BDSM group:

Cockatoo Island is the largest island in Sydney Harbour. The island has been an imperial prison, industrial school, reformatory and gaol. Many remnants of this past remain, along with structures that retain the texture of the island's industrial past (it was the site of one of Australia's biggest shipyards during the twentieth century).

The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust which manages the island is marketing the island as:

"a venue [with] flair and individuality, plus a spectacular harbour location ... The island is gritty, industrial and steeped in history, providing a background full of character and the opportunity to build your own unique event"

Unique event, indeed *grin*.

A small group of us plan to take them up on that suggestion. We are planning two nights in the island's camping ground, allowing time for a recce of the island before the Hunt / playtime on the second day.

If you'd like a couple of days relaxing, exploring and camping with like minded friends (and then hunting them lol) and would like to be part of the planning process, please drop me a line :)

In response to issues raised on that thread, this post on my blog is to provide further info for friends interested in joining us.

***

Sol and I caught the ferry to Cockatoo Island last Friday. It's a very scenic trip. You go past this particular Sydney icon:


And under this one (the Sydney Harbour Bridge):


You can access the island via either the Woolwich/Balmain ferry or the Parramatta RiverCat. On the latter it was a quick ten minute trip from Circular Quay. It cost just over $20 AUD for return tickets for both of us (ferry costs / times link at end of post).

Here the ferry approaches Cockatoo Island:


Cockatoo Island is open daily and there is no admission charge. Regular events and art installations are a feature of the island (it has hosted the Biennale of Sydney twice, as well as the Sydney Festival's "All Tomorrow's Parties" music festival the World's Funniest Island Comedy Festival in 2009. Part of X-Men Origins: Wolverine was filmed there in 2008). Day visitors are welcome to explore, and there are now several accommodation options.

We were of course on the island to recce for our forthcoming camping trip and to check out the possibilities for private play and a hunt. And it really is a fascinating place to explore. Cockatoo Island is a national heritage listed island with over 100 buildings and items of machinery. It's very interesting past has resulted in an interesting mix of historical and industrial architecture:


From industrial sites:




To heritage listed buildings (you can stay in these ... they provide another accommodation option ... read more here):


And even convict ruins. These convict cells were only excavated last year:


The ABC reported last year:

Two solitary confinement cells used for punishing convicts in the mid-nineteenth century have been discovered on Cockatoo Island.

The cells were finished in 1841 and covered up by 1898 but have now been rediscovered in an archaeological dig on Sydney's largest island. Sydney Harbour Federation Trust's Libby Bennett says it is an amazing discovery.

"They tell us a lot about what life would've been like on the island, in particular, how they punished the prisoners there," she told ABC News Online."The cells have no windows and there's evidence of a basic timber floor and they're very dark and damp and wet so it gives a very good insight into how life was on the island in that time."

No, we can't install a couple of subs there ... but we can certainly threaten to do so!

There was obviously plenty to explore, and I now had some excellent ideas re play / hunting. But what about staying overnight? The accommodation option we were interested in was the camping ground. You can bring your own tent, but the most popular camping option is the "Glamping" package, where a two person tent is provided with two camp beds, two chairs and basic accessories. Here's the "sample" tent made up to show visitors:


It's a Camphor Hennie Domme tent (2.4m x 2.4m). As sheets, pillows etc are not included it doesn't strike me as the best "sample" of a product / service I've seen, but I guess those items are just there to make everything look nice. I can vouch for the chairs being comfortable, anyway. And those are included.

There have been a few articles about staying on the island. The Daily Telegraph reviewed the campsite just after it opened in 2008, and The Australian reviewed it last June.

"In an urban environment, Cockatoo Island, on the western side of Sydney Harbour, was once crammed with dockyards and is now a venue for arts shows, concerts and festival events.Tent sites with million-dollar views are provided on the island, or you can take a camping package (tent, lamp, camp chairs and mattresses). Kitchen and barbecue facilities are excellent and, with the island now serviced by Sydney Harbour ferries, this surely has to be the city's best-value budget-end accommodation. Audio and guided tours of Cockatoo Island's convict and industrial past are available and enhance the richness of a unique city camping experience."

There'd been some concern raised on the Fetlife thread about the numbers of people there each night. The Daily Telegraph article confirms the island has "135 camping sites", and this is backed up by what we saw. In the photo below you can see the busiest part of the camping ground, showing some of the permanent tents - there are about one hundred left up all the time - and spaces for private tent groups:


Here's another photo of the camping ground, showing the amenities area, with "seating and tables for up to 80 people":


Kinksters are so manic about privacy that I'd probably have taken a look at how close the tents were in these photos and started running. But remember, the night we were there almost all of these tents were empty.

You can see in the photo above that tents by the water front and close to the kitchen / bathroom blocks ("solar-powered hot water showers, sinks and toilets for the use of campers only") have been filled first. But you could ask to be located away from everyone else. They obviously get such requests - check out the photo below, which shows permanent tents set up along the slipway:


The photo below shows the rest of the slipway, the camera moving to the right. You can see another small group of tents and the amenities block (far left, front) used by both small groups of tents.


In the distance you can see the kitchen block. Here's a close up:


It includes "eight large electric barbeques, four sinks, fridge, microwave, instant hot water and seating and tables for up to 80 people" plus "fridge for storage of campers' food items and ice for sale". There are large communal tables there, but plenty of space. Cooking is confined to this area but you don't have to actually eat there, of course.

There are also places like this, where small groups can light a fire and socialize:


We really loved the way the island's architecture was incorporated into the camp site:



It's definitely worth a visit. So, what were the results of our recce?

The island has great potential for all types of play but the main problem is privacy. You have no idea how many other people are going to be there, or where they are going to be. So I think you have to come on a trip like this with the mindset that it may simply end up as a social event for kinksters rather than a play event. Nothing wrong with that. I'd certainly still go, just for some time with kinky friends in a fantastic spot.

In terms of organizing this trip, how can we create more possibilities for privacy?

• Avoid going on school holiday periods ... in any state. Or long weekends. Lots of kids around the island greatly decreases the possibility of any type of play. Although it's helpful to know that the island's camping regulations state " Children must not be allowed to roam the island unsupervised especially after dusk"
  

• Avoid a weekend trip if possible. I know this is the easiest option for many people, including us, but the weekends see the biggest number of day trippers and private functions, until the last ferry leaves. Saturday night is their busiest night in terms of camping. And most expensive. Ideally I'd try for two nights mid week but if not perhaps we should try for Thur and Fri? If it has to be one night only and a weekend, Sunday night is cheaper and less popular than Friday ... note that their website says Sunday to Friday are the same rate, but as you can see in the photo of the "sample" tent, Friday now has a different rate:

• Having said all that, the Friday we were there they only had 17 tents booked, so it really was pleasant and quiet.

• We can request the group be located away from the most popular areas (main amenities and kitchen block and sea front). For example, down near the slipway.
  

Why two nights?

If it's a purely social event then sure one night will be fine. But a second night would provide more time to explore the island's extraordinary landscape and discuss as a group ways it might be incorporated into play, either in terms of a hunt or other outdoor play activities. I think those bringing their own tent and gear should also plan on two nights, to make the trip worth the effort.

When?

I was aiming for late 2010 but early 2011 seems to work best for everyone else. Let me know what suits you. We can book up to six months in advance, but probably wouldn't want to leave a trip like this later than April 2011. As some of us have another kinky outdoor trip proposed for March 2011, I'd like to try and schedule this not later than early Feb, but it's entirely open for discussion at present.

Still interested?

Please note that places on this trip are limited and preference will be given to kinksters known to us from other real time Lifestyle events. Have a read of the links at the bottom of this post and then drop me a line at Fetlife to confirm your interest. You can take part in organizing the event via Fetlife Cockatoo Island Camping and Hunt thread and also via private emails. Re sub hunting, please see the note at the bottom of this post.

Everyone needs to read the camping details page on Cockatoo Island's website. Here are Cockatoo Island's Camping conditions:

• Check-in is from 2 pm and check-out is 10am
• Please advise if you are arriving after 5pm
• There is a maximum number of four people per site
• Sites are allocated on the morning of your arrival and are unpowered
• Sites are 4 meters x 4 metres. If your tent exceeds these dimensions you will need to book one or more additional sites
• Bond of $100 is required for the hire of equipment. This bond is refunded when equipment is returned in good order
• Maximum stay 30 days, no return permitted within seven days
• Cost of transportation to and from the island is not included
• Reservations can be made up to six months in advance
• Reservations must be paid in full at the time of booking.
• No refunds to camping reservations. Bookings can be changed or extended by up to three months until five days prior to arrival. After that time, changes and extensions can be made to any date in the following three months excepting Saturday nights. No extensions on rain-checks or vouchers. No changes on the day of arrival.
• No cooking other than at the campground kitchen or island barbeques is permitted
• Portable barbecues and compressed or liquid fuel is not permitted
• Please minimise waste and take your rubbish with you off the island
• Alcohol may not be brought onto the island, but may be purchased from The Canteen
• Animals (except guide dogs) are not permitted
• There is no ATM on the island. Payments can be made by EFTPOS

Other things the island's camping regulations suggest you bring:

• Sleeping bag, pillow, ear plugs (optional)
• Food, cooking & eating utensils, tea towel (Canteen Café is licensed and open 7 days a week. You can arrange to pick up BBQ packs on the island.)
• Appropriate footwear, no thongs
• $100 cash or credit card bond per camping accessories package

We also suggest you bring your toybag! (I'll talk to people interested in hunting re stuff to bring separately)

The island's camping regulations suggest you leave at home:

• Skateboards, scooters, bicycles, roller-skates
• Portable BBQs, gas cylinders etc
• Animals (except guide dogs)
• Alcohol – The Canteen Café is licensed to sell beer and wine only, to be consumed at BBQ area, your tent or café
• Amplified music

Oh and this info for a good friend of ours:

"You can now kayak to the island. Bring kayaks up the No. 1 Slipway (closest to chimney stack). Kayaks must not be brought onto the campground or surrounding grass area. Sorry, Kayak hire is no longer available on the island"

Things to keep in mind if you bring your own gear:

• It's a 4m x 4m site, and four people are allowed. If your tent is bigger they'll charge you for a second site.
  

• If you are bringing your own tent and gear, rather than try to find a park near Circular Quay and have to lug stuff through the busy Rocks and Quay - as well as pay huge parking fees - I'd suggest parking at the other end of the ferry route: either Parramatta or one of the smaller ferry stops on the route.
  

FURTHER INFO:

Cockatoo Island:

• Fetlife Cockatoo Island Camping and Hunt thread
  
• Cockatoo Island website
• Wiki - Cockatoo Island
  
• Accommodation - Camping page
• Accommodation - Camping prices
• Getting to the island - check ferry information
• Eating on Cockatoo - The Canteen
• Cockatoo Island Campground Guidelines & Map (PDF - 211 KB)
• ABC - Convict punishment cells found on Cockatoo Island
• "Bush Camping on Harbour" Daily Telegraph April 2008
• "How to glamp it up in the great outdoors" The Australian June 2010
  

Sub Hunting:

If you are interested in the Hunt side of things but haven't Hunted with us before (and this includes real time friends :) ) you'll need to drop me a line at Fetlife with an email address, so I can send you the questionnaire we request all potential Hunt players complete. The Q will confirm whether your hunting interests / fantasies are compatible with those already in the hunting party (both prey and hunters) and will give you an idea of Hunt practicalities and logistics, as well as this particular Hunt's specifics. I also suggest you read the "How to organize a sub hunt thread" on Fetlife.

Please note a Hunt cannot be guaranteed on this trip due to privacy issues (ie, how many vanillas are staying on the island on the same time).

Ms160's Hunts take place throughout Australia, in both rural and urban locations. They are not promoted on Fetlife, both to preserve the privacy of the players and because the logistics involved with successful Hunting require a screened, carefully crafted event. If you are sincerely interested in joining Ms160's Hunting List and being advised of forthcoming Hunts, please message her at Fetlife.

Photos:
Ms160
Wiki

Post Gathering...

Concierge desk at The Gathering

We headed down to Sydney a few days before The Gathering, to help with everything from moving into the hotel venue to putting together the final Fetish Night Market showbags and conference bags for the weekend.

The nice thing about the venue was that the entire second floor became The Gathering, hosting both the conference and the Fetish Night Market. If you didn't have a ticket you didn't get to enter the space. This meant people staying at the hotel could just come down in the lift, and others could park in the hotel underground car park and again just use the lift for access. This type of "designated" space and the security it provided was very important for many new kinksters, some of whom were attending The Gathering as their first lifestyle event.

In all the extraordinary feedback post Gathering we've been amused with one individual making noises about the event promoting itself as "Australia's first national BDSM Conference". "In 1994 the first one I know of was in Lismore (10 attendees)." I thought they called kinky events with those numbers a munch.

We long ago thrashed out the "national" thing in my BDSM National Event in Australia - Discussion Group on Fetlife. It's old news. And while there have been some great kinky events around Australia, none of these events has called themselves a conference. A "con" or convention, yes there have been some good ones ... although none ever topped a hundred attendees. The first BDSM conference on this side of the planet was Southern Exposure:

"November 2006 saw the first Southern Exposure Conference held in Christchurch. It was an outstanding success with 100 delegates and a full programme of 21 workshops from an impressive lineup of top international and local presenters. Based on that success the organisers decided to stage further conferences every two years."

The second one was held in 2008. The third, this year's, has been postponed (due to recent earthquakes which damaged the conference venue) until Easter 2011. An ongoing event like this is very impressive ... and very hard work. All kudos to the organizers. You can read a great article about the 2008 conference on TheFetishistas here. But that's New Zealand, not Australia.

Southern Exposure however has a real "conference" structure similar to The Gathering. In 2008 it featured two full days of workshops - nine sessions a day, spread over three concurrent sessions. This format will be repeated at the next conference, over Easter 2011.

The inaugural Gathering ran sixteen sessions a day, over four concurrent sessions. That's over thirty workshops. There were over two hundred attendees at the conference, and nearly four hundred attended the play party Uber:fire.

Believe me. No-one has achieved ANYTHING like this in Australia before. In fact, Laura Antoniou made it pretty clear in her closing key note address that The Gathering had achieved something pretty unique, worldwide. As Laura blogged:

"The Gathering has been a phenomenal success. With upwards of 200 people flocking in for the vendor night, the full weekend registration option or the VERY clever and should-be-copied-in-the-US availability to purchase just four classes out of the weekend - a sort of do-it-yourself mini-conference - this has become, or will soon become with tonight's big play party, the largest non-gay fetish event Australia has ever had. Miss Dee, the organizer and my host for this trip, deserves massive kudos for bringing it all together with the help of a dedicated and delightful staff.

"But numbers don't say it all, of course - there are huge events where I feel like on the whole I'd rather be home reorganizing my spice shelf. The vibe here has been truly excellent - warm and friendly, interesting and energizing. It's not that often I feel like hanging out between my gigs and chatting with the attendees - I am better known for escaping to my hotel room for quiet time and Advil. This ... has truly been fun"

(I might add, that's where I got to spend most of my time with Laura - at her book desk, where she was "hanging out between my gigs and chatting with the attendees" *grin*. Thank you for signing our new copies of your books, Laura!)

And Laura is right. The Gathering was fun. I used exactly the same word when I put this post up on Fetlife:

We're having lots of fun at The Gathering in Sydney.

Magic to make new new friends like Laura Antoniou and Master Jock and so many others who's Fetlife names I don't know yet, and catch up with friends from Brisbane, Adelaide, Tassie ... heavens, everywhere.

Helping out has been hard work but a lot of fun. Being on the Women and BDSM panels was a great honor, Aleni's wonderfully professional to work with as were all the other panel participants who I'm not listing because I don't know their Fetlife names, I'll add them soon. We had a lot of fun in the Kink Intro class, eighty people attended with different presenters providing tips on different techniques ... thank you to Mistress Tokyo who did caning, L who did spanking, T and his lovely partner E who covered bondage and of course Aleni who covered flogging. An especial thank you to Master Jock for taking over for me as moderator / facilitator when I had to race over the the second BDSM and women panel. And another thanks to Losti for demo bottoming for two of those sessions :).

Speaking of demo bottoms sol was the demo bottom for Mistress Toyko's electro play workshop (thank you Mistress Tokyo). Only my boy would not mind stripping in a room of 50 people and having electro things up his whatsits grin . He did brilliantly, and we've loved the feedback we've had from conference attendants. That really was an amazing session. sol's still buzzing ... almost literally lol.

Uberfire was last night, so we are just heading in for a recovery breakfast and Laura's closing lecture.

Enormous thanks to Miss Dee for arranging such an extraordinary event, and bringing together so many extraordinary people to make it happen. With over two hundred people attending The Gathering and many many more at Uberfire we feel like we've made hundreds of new friends. Keep in touch, everyone!"

I put this post up shortly after everything was over:

Finally awake at lunchtime on Tuesday lol.

MsNeta just asked us how The Gathering went and solipsist said "astounding" ... and he's right. It really was. I've attended some great kink events but I can honestly say I've attended nothing like it.

I was racing between moderating / facilitating and presenting much of the time, which meant I missed the workshops of international presenters Arisue Go, Madison Young and Laura Antoniou. It was an honor to have Madison Young (and also Peter Masters) at Women in BDSM - Continuing The Journey, and I was able to catch up with Laura now and then at her book table.

Here's a few of many wonderful memories, I'll make a coherent post on my blog soon:

• being asked by the venue's wonderfully vanilla Night Manager to show her around the Fetish Night Market. We were able to arrange this just before the Night Market's doors opened to the public. I'd like to thank all the vendors for the time they devoted to her. It was magical watching her eyes get wider and wider, and to see her heading off into the evening thinking about the possibilities of chastity devices ...

• Watching one of the Zentai suited figures (I must track down her and her partner's names) at the Night Market desperately try and open her cigarette packet and smoke while fully enclosed:

• the first moments of Tombi and Ellem's "Takedown" workshop, which went from (something like) "We're here to show you how to safely to Takedown, which is..." to a practical example of takedown that had the hairs standing up on the back of my neck, it was so fast and so hot. (you can see a photo of this on Tonbi's Fetlife page)
  

• sexy kinky volunteers wearing scarlet The Gathering - Crew t shirts worn with shiny shiny black very tight corsets ...

• Mr_P's absolutely fucking brilliant installation design for Mistress Tokyo's / Bootlovers/com boot display (and Mistress Tokyo's labels were brilliant as well) (the boots weren't bad, either grin)

• sol (doing demo bottom duties) towards the end of Mistress Toyko's electro play workshop, totally gone and overwhelmed by the sensations ... me kneeling next to him, trying to let Mistress Tokyo know he'd not call it, ... sol mishearing, thinking I'd called the scene and the whole room of fifty people roaring with laughter as he swipes me accidentally with an out of control hand ... then Mistress Tokyo upping the power and sol going under again, much to everyone's amusement and delight.

• Intro to Kink workshop attendees courageously coming forward for their very first attempt at flogging (taught by Aleni), both receiving and giving

• Fetdrama's (my co-panelist) appearance up the central aisle in our Crossdressing workshop...

• Arisue Go's erotic performance at Uberfire...

• finally meeting my friend's lovely new boy

• sharing a VERY serious chocolate overload moment with magicmushy and rach83 at Max Brenners in Paddo:

• Laura Antoninou's closing key note speech, confirming that The Gathering truly was something unique, and reminding us to support our community and encourage kinky event organizers.

As I wrote the other day, enormous thanks to Ms Dee for arranging such an extraordinary event, and bringing together so many extraordinary people to make it happen.

See everyone at The Gathering in 2012 :)

It's been very interesting reading post The Gathering threads on places like Fetlife. The feedback has been remarkably positive. Everyone is incredibly complementary and I hope Ms Dee, Mr_P, and the amazing volunteer team enjoy reading them. It's certainly balm for our own very tired - but happy - souls.

Our play friend Daddy_K started a thread in the BDSM Australia group:

If you didn't get a chance to attend this time, keep your fingers crossed that there will be another and book early. I had a great time connecting with old friends, making new friends, attending interesting workshops and enjoying the great mix of people present. Well done all involved Katrina

Other responses include:

Mast_Peterau "Yes we agree 100%, The Gathering was a very good event, well worth being at, as was said in one of the Work Shops, it can only grow and get better for all Looking forward to the next one, Well done to one and all. MP & jilly

_free_ "The Gathering was fantastic fun. No pressure from anyone to do anything, and yet everything available to do. I loved my workshop; it really helped me on a personal level. Great friends and new friends. It was great.

jodiesorrell "I concur...the quality of the guest speakers and the workshops they presented were fantastic. The parties and evening activities were also a lovely chance to meet new people, chat with old favourites and yet another excuse to dress up and enjoy the overall fabulousness! The amount of work and effort involved must have been tremendous and everyone working over the weekend deserves more thanks than a simple note in a Fetlife group. Maybe the many you will get go just a little way to expressing the extreme thanks! :-) "

OmTara "Thank yous from here to the moon. My workshops were wonderfully educational and fun, the whole thing was very good value. I'm so grateful to Ms Dee for being the powerful organiser that she is, she really accomplished something lasting with this Gathering."

HEX "Had a kick ass time. thanks Ms Dee

marajade "OMG! What an amazing weekend! Huge thanks to MissDee for organising it all and to all the class leaders. i am still overawed at being suspended! Yay! Shibari class rocked! As did Erotic Rope, Electoplay, Zen Submission, Arse Play and pretty much EVERYTHING! It was just so nice to sit and talk with so many like minded people and to be have the opportunity to expand my knowledge in fell swoop! Can't wait for the next one!"

MsGawjusRedhead "We had a wonderful time. The range of workshops was great, so that if you didn't fancy workshop A, there was always workshop B! Something for everyone's tastes. Congratulations to Miss Dee and the team for the work and thought put in to planning and executing this"

strange_littlegirl "Top notch presenters, mind-altering workshops, brilliantly helpful and approachable volunteers and a great vibe overall. BIG BIG thanks to Miss Dee. I'm already looking forward to the next one!"

MFs_pussy "Yes, thanks to Miss Dee and all helpers, it was a great weekend. interesting and very entertaining workshops, and wonderful to spend a whole weekend with fellow kinksters:)"

syrax "I had a ball the whole weekend! Thank you so much to Ms Dee and all organisers for my new friends, new knowledge and fun experiences. And thank you to all the attendees for their friendly faces"

LilMsSugarNSpice "it was a great weekend... What I liked the most was that there was really something for everyone! Big thanks to all involved!"

T_C "It was a great weekend with plenty to choose from as far as workshops and enough socialising to have me wasted on monday after the events finished. Kudos to Dee and all that helped and attended.TC"

hebari "I had a brilliant time, met some amazing people, reconnected with others and learned a lot. Uberfire was great fun. All in all and 11 out of 10.

Aleni "The Gathering was just tremendous, I had such a good time the whole time. the whole organisation was mind-blowing, Miss Dee, Mistress 160, Audrey, dolly, Bec, TT, all of the volunteers, persevered, vendors and guests, and those behind the scenes who have worked so hard to get this to realisation. I salute you, brava, well done, good job."

One thing that came out on this thread was that there were so many attendees - over two hundred - that some people didn't realize other friends were there! Over in Fetlife's The Gathering group, from a thread started by hex:

Ellem "Wow! What the Gathering was brilliant. I had a fantastic time teaching, learning, partying, playing, performing and just hanging out with fellow kinksters. There was a great friendly atmosphere for the whole thing and it all seemed to run amazingly smoothly for such a huge event. I'd like to send out a huge thank you to MsDee and her fabulous crew of supporters - you did an amazing job and should be very proud of yourselves."

LAntoniou "The Gathering was by far one of the best group of kinksters I have ever had the pleasure to hang out with. You all rock - and fuck like convicts. (grin)"

Zainal "What can I say, but WOW! What a weekend! To Miss Dee and her team, thankyou so much for a wonderful, insightful, educational, and entertaining weekend. Ive left with a head full of new ideas and a great feeling of affermation that we are a vibrant, and living community with unlimited potential"

anala "I can't thank Miss Dee and her team enough for organising such a fantastic event. I learnt a lot, met wonderful people, even an idol or two and was pleased to discover that fucking like convicts was a bloody good thing! Can't wait for the next one, count me in if you need a Canberra hand!"

Oliviafair "Bloody brilliant! What a fantastic weekend! Met heaps of new people, met up with heaps of friends, and really enjoyed the calibre of the workshop speakers!

"What can I say....hmmm, let's start with our own home grown DV8 house, they were brilliant. I was swooning with thoughts and ideas to take home from Mark and Lani's erotic rope session. Absolutely fantastic, and so annoyed that they only seem to get invited to do this overseas... I want to see more of them here!!!!!!!! I also loved that they opened up their world as a poly family to show how the experience can be so wonderful and work so well. Thanks Mark, Aleni and Lani.

"The panel discussions with Aleni, Mistress160 and Bec/TT (depending on which session you went to) were amazing. Friendly, welcoming, non-judgemental places where the discussions really moved along with good audience interaction, so much diversity in the audience and yet all good info and tips for everyone. I like a good discussion where the conversation just flows where it needs to. Great use of group wisdom.

"And the Zen of submission.... I was amazed to know that different tastes in your mouth can produce such different sensations to what is going on with your body... chocolate in my mouth made it hard to concentrate on being spanked.... my thoughts kept oscillating between mmm, ouch, mm, ouch, mmm, ouch.... and the spanking felt.... light and languishing. But when I put the sour jelly beans in my mouth I totally lost any taste sensation at all and just felt the most intense spanking...even though my partners assured me they were not spanking any harder or faster than previously... but that one left a tingle for a long while afterwards!!!! So thanks to Madison Young for that tit bit... and also to my partners for that session - you know who you are.

"And Madison Young again, fellating a banana.... to an itty bitty teeny weeny camera...oh so powerful. Yay for DIY porn, we have some great memories to take away from that one.

"But it wasn't just the sessions, it was the whole vibe, so positive, so friendly, so accepting of the wide variety of kinks and fetishes represented there. And as Laura said in her closing speech, let's be mindful to keep it that way and not let ourselves get splintered. With our small population we can't afford it, but even if we could, who'd want to? It's nice to find and link up with those with very similar desires, but it's also great to open our eyes and see what turns others on. I mean, I have absolutely no interest in electro play, but I was riveted with the demonstration that Mistress Tokyo gave with her willing volunteer. While I have no desire to repeat it I am glad I went and got to see what it was about, and the pleasure it gives to those who desire it.

"So thanks Miss Dee, for organising such a great event. Thanks also to the willing band of volunteers who helped it all go along so smoothly (or at least made it look that way even when it wasn't). Thanks to the wonderful speakers who enthusiastically came and really became part of the event. And thanks to the participants who also joined in wholeheartedly and made it a fucking fantastic event. I look forward to seeing you all again next time!"

I don't really think I can say anything better than Oliviafair, so think I'll close this post with her post. Now .... time for more sleep. But don't forget to try and join us in New Zealand for Southern Exposure next Easter :)

Here's a final photo. Sydney seemed to share the conference's amazing atmosphere and subject matter. I found this text on the main road just near where we were staying:

Sincere thank you's:

To everyone from Fetlife that I've quoted here.
Your comments really make this event
come alive for those who couldn't attend.

Banner:
Southern Exposure

Photos: Ms160

(still trying to track down the Fetlife names
of the lovely lady in the Zentai suit and her partner,
and other new friends from the conference ...
please drop me a line at Fetlife!)