Girl Friday: The Body in the Library

I didn't have many friends as a child. My best friend Helene moved away from the neighbourhood, and it was hard for me to find new friends, especially with a longing in the heart. I still remember how I was standing in the middle of the garden and thought, why oh why did my friend move. My father had just taught me to read and when I was complaining to my grandmother that I will never find another friend as good, she said I should read books - they are the best friend and what's the most important, you'll never be disappointed by them.

Not long after, my little hand reached for the first crime novel. It was Agatha Christie's The Body in the Library. Since that day, my friendship with crime novels started. My best friends were Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. In 2004, the new Miss Maple, who was played by Geraldine McEwan, came on TV and the opening episode was The Body in the Library. 12 years later, I'm still enchanted by that screenplay, and every now and then I would play that film on the background in the evening. Sometimes, when I can't go to sleep, it's lovely to doze off with your favourite film. One night, in between sleep and awake, I got the idea to do a photo series of the most famous scene from my childhood's favourite book.

I thought for a long time where I could find the perfect library where a dead body could be ideally photographed. Soon enough I realised we would get the ideal shots from Kau Manor, and that was the main reason why we went to shoot there in the spring. Those who don't know - first the dead girl in the library is thought to be a girl named Ruby. I couldn't take many poses when doing this shoot, so Meisi had to capture Ruby played by me from various angles. Although Ruby was strangled, we decided that nobody could be bothered with strangling nowadays, so I proposed to Meisi that our Ruby could have been sent to eternal sleep with sleeping pills. This series is also an opening to the following photo series where I pose as characters inspired by films and books. It was definitely interesting to play a dead body for a change. I didn't have to do anything else but stay in the same position. Have a safe weekend, everyone!

Mul polnud lapsepõlves kuigi palju sõpru. Minu parim sõbranna Helene kolis naabrusest ära ja mul oli raske uusi sõpru leida. Eriti kui südames pitsitas igatsus. Mäletan siiani, kui seisin keset aeda ja mõtlesin, miks küll mu sõbranna ära kolis? Isa oli mind äsja lugema õpetanud ja kui ma oma vanaemale kurtsin, et ma ei leia enam kunagi endale nii head sõbrannat, vastas ta, et loe raamatuid, need on parimad sõbrad ja mis põhiline - nendes ei pettu me kunagi.

Õige pea haaras minu väike käsi esimese kriminulli järgi. Tegemist oli Agatha Christie raamatuga "Laip raamatukogutoas". Sellest päevast sai alguse minu sügav kiindumus kriminaalromaanidesse. Minu parimateks sõpradeks said Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple ja nutikad mõrvarid, keda oli raske tabada. Aastal 2004 tuli teleekraanile uus Miss Marple, keda kehastas Geraldine McEwan ja avaosaks "Laip raamatukogutoas". 12 aastat hiljem olen ma ikka veel sellest ekraniseeringust lummatud ja aegajalt panen just selle filmi endale õhtul taustaks. Vahel, kui und ei tule, on nii mõnus lemmikfilmi saatel uinuda. Ühel ööl, une ja ärkveloleku piiril, tärkas mulle pähe mõte teha oma lapsepõlve lemmikraamatu kuulsaimast stseenist, kus teenija leiab laiba, pildiseeria. Mõtlesin pikalt, kus oleks piisavalt ideaalne raamatukogu, kus võiksime laipa pildistada. Õige pea tärkas mulle pähe, et täiuslikud kaadrid saame Kõue mõisas ja just see oli peamine põhjus, miks me kevadel seal pildistamas käisime. 

Need, kes teavad, siis esialgu tuvastatakse raamatukogutoas laip tüdrukuna, kes kannab nime Ruby. Seda fotoseeriat tehes ei saanud ma ise kuigi palju poose võtta, seega pidi Meisi minu poolt kehastatud Ruby mitme nurga alt üles pildistama. Kuigi Ruby kägistati, otsustasime meie, et tänapäeval enam keegi kägistamisega ei viitsiks tegeleda, seega pakkusin Meisile välja, et meie Ruby võidi pigem unerohuga igavesele unele saata. See pildiseeria on avalöök ka edaspidistele seeriatele, kus poseerin filmidest või raamatutest inspiratsiooni saanud tegelaskujudena. Ja kahtlemata oli vahelduseks väga vahva laipa kehastada. Ma ei pidanud tegema muud, kui samas poosis lamama. Turvalist nädalavahetust kõigile! 

PHOTOS: Meisi Volt