Gillian Mears reflects on being photographed lying unclothed under a mirror with a red balloon. 'The invitation from photographer Vincent Long arrived early in 2009. Would I be interested in taking part in his portrait series of Australian writers? Each participant would appear with a helium-filled red balloon, a kind of homage to the Lamorisse film, as well as symbolising in some sense the writer's muse.' Source: Gillian Mears