The Bees and the Bears in Second Life

Cica Ghost opened her new installation on March 21st, offering visitors the opportunity to spend a little time with the Bees and the Bears. Like 50 Cats (see here for more), it is a whimsical piece, one which might put some visitors in mind of a certain Bear of Very Little Brain and his love of honey – although the furry characters here are far removed from any A.A. Milne.

The humour in the piece is evident from the About Land description, in which Cica poses a question and gives the answer:

Q: What do you call a bears without ears?
A: B’s.

Sitting under a blue-orange sky is a garden like island, rich in tall daisies (be sure to collect your own daisy from the sign at the landing point). Up on the hills to the north-east sits a little village of  bee hives – the kind you might usually find hanging from the bough of a tree.

But these are not ordinary bee hives: each one is unique – some appear to have been knitted (and resemble boiled egg cosies), other appear to be made of wood, some are woven. All are home to a happy colony of bees – some of whom can be found asleep in their beds, others are setting out for work, little bags for collecting pollen carried in their legs.

The bears of the title appear to be a father and son. They live in a little cottage across the garden from the bee village, and their relationship with their buzz-ee neighbours looks to be a happy one. Among the daisies, papa bear is hauling a little trailer with a jar of honey in it, a little group of smiling bees watching him. More jars can be found neatly stacked in the cottage, outside of which another happy bee seems to be enjoying a conversation with Junior bear.

As is usual for Cica’s builds. there’s more to be found here: places to sit (mouse-over likely spots … tree stumps, red flowers….), some of which over single, static poses and others have a combination of static and animated poses. There’s also “beemobiles” to be found at various points. These are auto-rezzers; jump into one and it will sit you in version you can drive – just use the arrow / WASD keys when seated. And keep an eye out for giant Cica, as she keeps an eye on all that’s going on.

Bees and Bears is another delight from Cica. Light-hearted, whimsical and fun to explore. Like 50 Cats before it, it will put a smile on your lips – and perhaps give a little reminder of the important role bees play in our ecosystem.

SLurl Details

• Bees and Bears (Van, rated: Moderate)