When I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Estonia ('94-'96), we had to get creative on weekends. A friend discovered a roll of black-and-white film, and I decided to create my first "art" book. (And there's a good reason why I put "art" in quotation marks). There's only one copy in existence, but I thought the scanned pages were amusing enough to post.
I was obsessed enough with the project to have this accordion-fold book specially made by a local book binder. (This year, I learned to make my own accordion-fold books. Get ready, World!!!)
We shot this in Tallinn, one of the most beautiful medieval cities I've ever encountered. Here, Joe stands in front of the Estonian Parliament Building, on Toompea Hill.
I used to spend a lot of my free time in this coffee shop...
..and cut through this alley every chance I got. Talk about atmospheric!
Believe it or not, this was the stairwell of the apartment building I lived in.
Boredom is a key driver when it comes to creativity.
Damn, I was thin back then.
But obviously not a very good spy. What self-respecting spy would ever fall for the hide-behind-the-newspaper gag?
Though The Mannequin Offensive takes place in California, it was inspired largely by my work overseas. And places like this were a wonderful muse.
You can't trust anybody these days.
About the Author
Kirsten Weiss worked overseas for nearly twenty years in the fringes of the former USSR, Africa, and South-east Asia. Her experiences abroad sparked an interest in the effects of mysticism and mythology, and how both are woven into our daily lives.
