Event review: Kinkfest UK 2014

Earlier this year, I was asked to take part and teach workshops at the UK’s largest and newest BDSM educational conference and event, Kinkfest UK. To say it was an honour to have been able to take part is an understatement and over the course of its 2 day debut, it quickly became my favorite event of 2014 and one of my favourite BDSM events of this past decade.

Concentrating more on the safety and knowledge aspects of BDSM during the day by hosting a large and very diverse assortment of workshops and classes, while during the evenings having a large environment to practice in and have fun with new-found skills, as well as having live performances of fire play and Japanese rope bondage, Kinkfest UK has it all. In fact, I think the only thing it lacked was a market.

Held in the same venue as they hold the Midland peer rope evenings at the Xtasia club in Birmingham, I ran several flogging workshops over the course of the event and I also managed to get in some very fun rope (photos below). They have expressed wishes to continue Kinkfest UK as a yearly event and I for one really hope they do. This event was simply awesome and given the chance, I would gleefully attend again.

The First flogging workshop on the 26th July:

My playtime while attending the peer rope workshop on the 26th July:

The last flogging workshop on the 27th July:

My rope model and workshop partner for the event: Jitsuka.
Photos courtesy of Kinkfest UK.
Photography by Red Fox Photography.
All images are copyright © KinkfestUK 2014.

Private party ‘Fire Poi’ Photoshoot and videos 31/08/13

I was playing with fire at the birthday party of a dear friend of mine. As chance would have it, a few photos and videos were taken in the process:

Photos courtesy of DomChef.
Photography by DomChef.
Images are Copyright © 2013.

Videos courtesy of JessicaWabbitt.
Videography by JessicaWabbitt.
All content Copyright © 2013.

Fire Poi at the DV8 Fetish festival, 29/06/13

Over the weekend, Benjamin, my partner and I attended the DV8 fetish festival in Kent. The Kabunza trade stand did well, we met many kinksters and even had a dip in the pool (nudity was mandatory).

As soon as darkness descended, I started messing around with my fire poi; I tried attempting some slower spinning and single poi spinning. However, I failed miserably at the slow single poi spinning near the end. I just get too excited.

But it attracted quite a crowd and a couple of videos were recorded of one of the burns.

So, enjoy.

 

 

 

Do unto others?

One of the things which I pride myself on is the fact that every BDSM activity that I partake in, everything that I inflict on others, is something that I have personally experienced the sensation of (with the exception of the obvious, e.g. penile sounding).

I have been canned, flogged, spanked, paddled, whipped, cut, electrocuted, tortured, skewered, burned, bloodied… The list is quite extensive.

My point is that, regardless of how sadistic I may be feeling at any given moment, I would never put anyone through something which I am not willing to go through myself (even briefly, just to see what it feels like).

In fact, it is through diverse experimentation like this that I have figured out that:

• I have a sliver of masochism. However, I am not truly masochistic (I do not derive physical pleasure or relief from pain, however I do understand it and I do consider it a bit fun on occasion if the mood and setting is complimentary, e.g. Touching nipple to nipple when using a violet wand body contact pad with the setting turned on full so you have the effect of sparks or lightning passing between the nipples).
• I am incredibly sadistic (I derive physical and intellectual pleasure from inflicting pain and suffering on others. I have also discovered that part of what makes me better at inflicting pain is the fact that I study human anatomy/biology and that I personally experience and research each activity).
• I am naturally and instinctively far more dominant than submissive (I am also in the firm belief, through years of sociological D/s experiences and encounters, that everyone has at least a little of both in them; despite some Dominants claiming that they are 100% “everyone on the planet should kneel before me” dominant).

Call it an ethical judgement or personal morality if you like, but my main question is: Why is it that I do not see or hear more peoples stories of experiencing things themselves before inflicting things on others? Has that Dominant in the corner of the club experienced what they are putting that submissive through? Or am I, yet again, part of the minority in that I practice what I preach and inflict?

Responses to this post would be greatly appreciated. I am incredibly curious to know of other peoples stories and opinions on this matter.

Fire poi practice 24/02/13

After a night of Bound Rope Jam in London, Benjamin and I headed back to Chez Esinem for relaxation, good friends, more Japanese rope bondage, the best home cooked food anyone could hope for (supplied by the ever skillful Nina Russ) and even a little fire poi practice in the back garden (learning slowly, practice makes perfect. But having an audience of performers put on a little pressure).

An excellent couple of evenings.

This video is unedited.
Videography by Nina Russ.
All media is Copyright © 2013 AemiliaHawk. All Rights Reserved.

Exodus UK ‘Fire Poi’ photoshoot 02/02/13

Japanese rope bondage and suspension, fire poi and floggers; Benjamin and I have just had an excellent weekend at Exodus UK.

And a few photos to add to the gallery.

After swinging around the unlit fire whips for a while, I decided to stick with the poi until more practice is gained. Fire whips are significantly bulkier and heavier than I thought.

Photography by Raven Imaging.
All images are Copyright © 2013 AemiliaHawk. All Rights Reserved.

Exodus UK ‘Fire Poi’ photoshoot 01/12/12

After a wonderful weekend of 2 events, BOUND rope jam in London followed by the Exodus UK 2 year anniversary party in Birmingham, Benjamin and I have returned exhausted but elated from the experience.

As luck would have it; Raven Imaging photography was in attendance at the Exodus UK anniversary and after having such lovely images taken by them back in the October photoshoot, we decided another run of photos would be a prudent thing to do.

I managed to pick up my fire poi once again for more practice and Benjamin did his first public rope suspension (a very comfortable one I must add. It is very unfortunate that due to technical trivialities, we could not get any photos taken of this play).

Of course, this time around, given what I have lately been training and practicing in, the images that we did get mandatorily included fire.

Enjoy.

    

Of course, the weekend would not have been complete without an image of me and mine.

Photography by Raven Imaging.
All images are Copyright © 2012 AemiliaHawk. All Rights Reserved.

Fire poi practice 17/11/12

After an event filled and incredibly fun weekend, I have returned to my Bristol dungeon feeling emotionally replenished.

No doubt I will be writing up a short story or two about some of the antics that my Benjamin and I got up to, but for the moment I simply wanted to highlight the only media footage that we managed to procure during the course of the two days.

As some will know from reading my previous post, ‘Great balls of fire‘, I have always had desires to learn some of the heavier and performance forms of fire play. I have always had a fascination with flame.

When I received a set of basic fire poi for my birthday a few weeks ago, I was eager to start practicing.

So, in the big warehouse at Exodus UK in the latter of a Saturday afternoon, under the watchful gaze of the venues owner (who regularly plays with fire whips), doused in freezing cold water (so the clothing would be significantly less likely to catch aflame), the chill of winter creeping in, my sexy play partner on standby holding a huge water doused towel (ready to be thrown over anything, including me, should the worst happen) and fire extinguishers at the ready; I began my first attempt at the artform of fire poi.

Thankfully, you use them exactly like you would use a set of dual floggers. However my form still looks quite rigid due to the fact that I was “freezing my arse off”.

Here are the videos, part one and part two of the same practice session, taken using my iPhone (hence the limited resolution) by another watchful friend.

Enjoy.

Remember, remember

Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason, why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, guy, t’was his intent
To blow up king and parliament.
Three score barrels were laid below
To prove old England’s overthrow.

By God’s mercy he was catch’d
With a darkened lantern and burning match.
So, holler boys, holler boys, Let the bells ring.
Holler boys, holler boys, God save the king.

And what shall we do with him?
Burn him!

Even in the 16th century, they enjoyed a bit of fire play.

Great balls of fire.

Despite the title of this blog, this post has nothing to do with Jerry Lee Lewis’ famous 1957 hit and it is lacking balls of any kind (unless used in the slang term, in which case, to do any of my aspirations written in this blog, I will need a lot of ‘balls’), But it has a lot to do with fire. I shall explain:

To date, my blog posts have always centered around what I have done, currently doing, thoughts, fetishes or events. I have never really expressed what I desire to learn, discover and acquire (BDSM or alternative skill set wise) in the hopefully not so distant future.

I have always loved bullwhips, unfortunately the only 8ft bullwhip that I owned was lost to thievery about 8 months ago and it has been too expensive an item to replace given current monetary circumstance (they are not cheap). But aside from trying to reacquire a new 8-10ft kangaroo hide bullwhip (my preferred length), the thought of learning firewhips has always appealed to me. I already have the knowledge of how to use single tail whips, so firewhips seem like the next logical step (that and the fact that fire has always fascinated me). Dual 5-6ft single tails (specially designed for fire play) would probably be perfect and preferred for self training (plus a handy fire extinguisher, just in case, and a submissive who would get a kick out of foaming a Mistress without repercussion if something unintended caught on fire).

 

 

Being incredibly extroverted by nature, you can see why this would be an interest of mine. However, this is not the only form of fire play that I have intentions of eventually learning.

Body angle grinding has also always been a fascination of mine. In this subject I have no experience at all, but like I said, this blog post is about things I eventually hope to learn and do.

 

 

No doubt, the exploration and research of this activity would be an extremely delicate process (999 on speed dial for training in this methinks). Equipment (consisting of a custom reinforced metal plated bikini and an angle grinder) needed, which is also quite costly.

So, as you can see, I do have aspirations. Whether or not any of them come to fruition, only time will tell.