In suspense: HeavenSake marks its debut with a powerful kinbaku performance
Franco-Japanese luxury drinks brand HeavenSake recently launched its second sake at a ‘cultural gathering’ in Paris, culminating in renowned photographer Massimo Vitali being suspended high over the heaving crowd to capture the scene. In a similarly dramatic, theatrical fashion, the first ‘Better High’ happening in the brand’s event series last year featured a performance of kinbaku – literally meaning ‘the beauty of tight binding’ – by Japanese master Kinoko Hajime.
At times disturbing, the session left the predominantly European and American audience at the event speechless. Undoubtedly, the practice and its more spectacular iterations create a bridge between past and present, merging craft with exhibitionism and sexual performance in a way that is often difficult to understand and dissect for the untrained viewer.
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