Performing, puppetry and making come naturally to to my next door neighbour and The Mystery Park in Liverpool has wonderful light, and so does my Godox flash gun. These were the ingredients of a photoshoot I had of my mega-talented neighbour Gemma Bond (also known as performer Velma Von Bon Bon). I photographed her with one of her creations – a moon-face on a pole – and that instantly transported me back to my childhood reading of The Magic Faraway Tree. Maybe the stripy top

Design and photography by Bluewhistle. Presented here my work with Lizzie Nunnery and Vidar Norheim on their stirring and poetic album "Black Hound Howling".

My neighbors' windows twitch because Velma von Bon Bon is a burlesque performer who lives on my street. When not peeking through the net curtains, my other neighbors are leading their mundane lives; they may be ironing their office shirts or hoovering quavers from their Hyundais, but meanwhile, there is a hive of activity coming from next door. Gemma is a performer and puppet-maker par excellence. We've often heard her practicing acrobatics and have even spotted her perfectin