Thursday 5 June 2008

Bookhound in the basement...


It was too dark in the Port Eliot basement for anyone to take photographs of our 'haunting', but thanks to the Bookhound, here are some sketches. Sadly, I didn't get to meet the Bookhound last weekend, so he remains a man of mystery...
I did meet Michael Howells, however, which was a treat. He is a renowned designer -- at Ballet Rambert and Christian Dior, amongst others -- and he created the beautiful flower chandeliers at Port Eliot that you can see in the photographs from previous posts. As a du Maurier fan -- he can quote entire scenes from Rebecca (usually in a double-act with his colleague, Kitty Arden) -- he was the perfect companion at Port Eliot, with an intuitive understanding that the 'haunting' we wanted to evoke was partly imaginary; by which I mean, du Maurier's ghosts are often a reflection of inner spectres -- a summoning up of childhood fears and anxieties, or the wraith-like failures and disappointments of the past.
That said, Michael also staged a very spooky emanation of Mrs Danvers in the Port Eliot housekeeper's room, which made several people scream out loud.
Now, what shall we plan for next year?

No comments: