Tag: Cica Ghost

For her May 2023 installation, Cica Ghost has used the writings of Frances Hodgson Burnett for a source of inspiration – or perhaps that should be reference; specifically in this case, the third of her most famous works of children’s fiction The Secret Garden, published in 1911. Not that build lifts ideas directly from the novel; rather – and as is the case with Cica’s designs – she uses a quote from the opening of Chapter 25 in the novel to frame her design: And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles.

However, whilst the novel goes on the wax lyrical robins and eggs and  the miracle of flight and (to children’s thinking) a house with 100 rooms “no-one ever goes into”, Cica offers us something equally engaging and magical: a place where butterflies flit, crows keep watch, flowers bloom (to themselves blossom into butterflies)  –  hippos frolic.

Yes, hippos; a creature with a long history within Second Life, where they have been an unofficial mascot for a good portion of the platform’s 20-year history. Sadly, this association is perhaps something unknown to more recent residents, with even the SL National Hippo Day of February 15th no longer being widely observed; nor are they to be seen “skipping through SL stomping bugs”. However, evidence of this long association can still be found within the viewer as an echo of even the Lab entering into the spirit of things (CTRL-ALT-SHIT-H for those not in the know).

Given this, and the fact that 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of Second Life officially opening its doors to the public  – and, indeed, of the forum conversation that kicked-off the the unofficial adoption of hippos as a mascot, that they should be a part of Cica’s Secret Garden is highly appropriate.

The hippos can be found right across the garden, both outdoors and within some of the garden houses to be found across the garden’s undulating landscape. Caught under something of a heavy sky, the garden has a slight feel of being a little untended, the shadows and low light adding to its mystery (perhaps another indirect reference to the novel?). This makes exploration more interesting – particularly if you are able to run the viewer with Shadows enabled (not a requirement, but certainly a nice-to-have), allowing things to slowly emerge from the darkness.

As is usual with Cica’s builds, there are multiple opportunities for sitting and watching visitors come and go, and for dancing and having a little fun. So, this being said: Happy Hippos – go enjoy!

SLurl Details

• Happy Town (Mysterious, rated Moderate)

For those who have visited and enjoyed Cica Ghost’s region-wide art installations in Second Life over the last decade plus, her build for April 2023 may well raise a sense of nostalgia and memory, whilst retaining its own originality.

Happy Town, which opened on April 7th, 2023, presents a whimsical townscape with a rather unusual feature: everything in it appears to be made of, or covered by, sewn and stitched fabrics, or has been knitted. The land sits as a patchwork quilt, buildings appear to have wall coverings which have been sewn onto them, indoors and out. Even the trees are strangely two-dimensional, their tops looking like snare drums over which green baize has been stretched and onto which flowers have been sewn, before being sat on their sides atop hemmed and sewn trunks. Even the sky appears to be a grey blanket into which the clouds have been stitched like so many patches to cover holes or tears.

It is an engaging and imaginative setting, a place where only the citizens appear to be organic – and even these are not human. Instead, this is a town apparently populated by anthropomorphic cats who tend happy-go-lucky sheep, chickens and pigs whilst also working as the local mechanics. And even then, I’m not sure the sheep or chickens are actually being “kept” so much as also being local inhabitants.

True, they might for the most part be clustered in what might be taken for a central meadow, along with their barns and hen-houses whilst hemmed in (so to speak!) by a low fence with a single opening; but equally might this not also be the local park where the locals have simply come for some weekend fun? Certainly, the hi-fiving chickens seem to be having fun and the sheep – whilst possibly not related to Shawn the Sheep, look as capable as him.

The buildings are a curious mix – some on the ground, others up on stilts, some as wide as they are tall, some with pipes entering or exiting them. It is here that for those of us with long memories might feel that hint of nostalgia, as there is something about Happy Town this brings forth memories of Cica’s 2014 Small Town. This is further aided by the presence of the little cars and the road winding through the town. While both are different in nature to those of Small Town, sitting in one of the cars and setting out along the road brings back memories of driving around Small Town.

As well as the car to drive (you can be sure they are roadworthy thanks to the cats looking after them!), Happy Town includes places where you can dance, places to sit, ladders to climb, and a little theatre where another memory from Cica’s past builds: one of her animated stick figures as seen in the likes of Ghostville offered as a movie to be enjoyed.

Delightful and light, Happy Town will be open through April for people to enjoy.

SLurl Details

• Happy Town (Mysterious, rated Moderate)

For February 2023, Cica Ghost invites us all to visit her Happy Place, where we can all relax and have a little fun, wander through an exotic landscape and meet the equally exotic populace.

This is very much a green land, caught under a green sky, between which green-tinged clouds scud whilst on the ground spots and splashes of other colours might catch the eye and cause feet to wander. This ground is a strange mix of grass-like covering and what appears to be a natural quilt forming an interesting patchwork effect as it stretches over the humpbacked hills and lies on the flatter ground like a picnic blanket. Blue splotches within the quilt suggest pools of water – albeit sometimes at odd angles as the effect stretches itself over the uplands.

Across both grass and patchwork can be found tall grasses and clovers rising up taller than an avatar, smaller flowers of red and yellow and green scattered around them and across the landscape as a whole (some of which have much larger brethren away to the north of the setting) while trees in places rival the humpy hills in height.

Nor is the shape of most of the hills their only distinguishing feature; many have had their tops sliced flat, allowing little houses and matching trees to sit upon their crowns (some have other little places sitting on their heads, but you should discover this for yourself). Some of these houses appear unreachable such is the steepness of the slopes rising to them; others can be more easily reached, thanks to the placement of ladders to assist with climbing.

Also across this strange yet welcoming landscape can be found the setting’s inhabitants. From sheep to bipedal monsters, passing by want of ants, ladybirds, a sleeping dragon, elephants and a Cica-like little girl tending a lone cow with what appears to be her cottage and pet fish close by. There’s even the suggestion, spread between two trees, that the setting might also be home to a giant human, although they appear to currently off visiting somewhere else!

Although some are monsters, none of the inhabitants are in any way dangerous; the dragon snoozes peacefully and the monsters all appear to be here for the same reason as anyone else: to take in the scenery, to relax together and pose for photos and / or simply have fun. And given this is a build by Cica, there are obviously places for visitors to enjoy a little dancing, or to sit and pose for photos or to simply spend time together, both on the ground and in the air.

The setting comes with a popular quote which is often attributed to A.A. Milne / Winnie the Pooh. In fact, the words as given were never given to Pooh (or any other of Milne’s characters) to say within the books (although they may have been spoken in one of Disney’s film adaptations). But whether written direct by Milne or by a screenwriter really matters not; they encapsulate the magical wonder of childhood and the importance of never letting go of that sense of magic and wonder, but allowing it to permeate our lives in moments of fun, friendship and togetherness.

By allowing us into her Happy Place, Cica again invites use to to do just that: let the magic and wonder free as we explore, have fun with friends and share our time with them.

SLurl Details

• Cica’s Happy Place (Mysterious, rated Moderate)

My first memory of Cica Ghost’s art in Second Life came over a decade ago, when she secured a region grant from the former Linden Endowments for the Arts (LEA), and hosted Cica. It caught the eye and imagination of many, featuring two-dimensional stick figures, many of them animated, going about their lives within a 3D setting, with the little chap riding his bicycle in the face of a strong wind that becoming something of a motif for the build within blog posts about it.

Follow-up installations like Ghostville allowed various 2D characters draw by Cica to continue to appear in her 3D installations – and they still pop-up from time to time either directly (plants and flowers forming a part of an landscape) or indirectly (as drawing on walls) within Cica’s installations.

Now, with her latest installation, Scribbled, which opened to the public on Thursday, January 12th, 2023, Cica again brings us a 2D world within a 3D space. Offered under the description Every day is a new day, this is an installation sitting on the 3D equivalent of a sheet of paper – and just as every day is a new day, so is every blank piece of paper an opportunity for the imagination to take flight, be it through drawings or through words.

Here, we are invited into the former (be sure to Use Shared Environment in your viewer (World → Environment), a crisp white setting suggestive of that sheet of paper on which Cica has “drawn” for us a series of vignettes. From 2D trees through aliens standing before their flying saucer to cows, elephants, cats and deer to monsters whose smiles reveal they are not intent on harm, this is a place where even the hills are given a deceptive two-dimensional edge.

The order in which you encounter these little vignettes matters not – suffice it to say each has its own charm and some, due to the layout of the scene, may need a little additional exploration to be seen at their best. Also scattered among them are some 3D elements – houses and such – which, as the camera is moved, perform the illusion of appearing to morph into flat drawings before revealing their real depth once more – indeed, the overall positioning of all the elements in the setting present an immersive depth that reaches beyond the 2D form of the majority of the pieces.

This is also a setting with a little secret. Just as every day is a new day, is followed by a night, and should you find your way to it, Scribbled reminds visitors of this by transporting them from “day” to “night”. This is a place where the sky and ground are black, and the trees, animals and objects become white, giving visitors a sense of stepping into a photographic negative of the “outer” drawing. Cleverly, as well, the return trip from “night” to “day” delivers visitors to a different locale from that used to enter “night”, thus ensuring that a part of the setting that might have otherwise been easily missed or taken for granted, might be enjoyed.

Of course, as with all of Cica’s installations there are opportunities for interaction awaiting discovery, from dances to sit spots to the chance to frame yourself in a “2D” picture frame located to one side of the setting, all of which further adds to the fun. And when wandering be sure to say hello to Cica; whilst she may not always be in Scribbled in person, she is always present in (2D) spirit!

As always, Scribbled is an engaging trip into the imagination with Cica, whose work never fails to raise a smile and the spirit, so when visiting do please consider also supporting her work through a purchase or a donation.

SLurl Details

• Scribbled by Cica Ghost (Mysterious, rated Moderate)

Cica Ghost is back with a final installation for the year as she presents Trolland, a whimsical and fun setting much in keeping with her more recent installations. It comes, as all Cica’s installations do, with a little quote that helps describe it:

A troll is a class of being in Germanic mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human beings.

This, plus the title of the installation reveal what it is all about; in this case, a total of three trolls. In this, and given my fondness for Tolkien, I couldn’t help but conjure thoughts of three trolls in particular: Bert Bill and Tom from The Hobbit. Now to be sure, these three individuals have probably done more to give trolls a bad name in the last 100 years than any single other source. Brutish, rude, thieves, uncouth in their lack of manners – and quite partial to human flesh -they are perhaps the worse kind of Troll one might imagine. But in truth, they were born of a standalone story designed to appeal as much to youngsters as adults (The Hobbit was only “retconned”, so to speak, into he broader mythology in subsequent editions, as the likes of The Lord of the Rings were more fully fleshed out for publication), rather than being representative of trolls as a whole.

As such, and in fairness, the creatures depicted in Cica’s installation don’t appear to be drawn from Tolkien’s story either consciously or otherwise; its just something my imagination was bound to dredge up because, as they say – J.R.R. Tolkien is Hobbit-forming (yes, I’m here through the season, folks, get your tickets from the box office!). Perhaps the presence of a camp fire with a cooking pot suspended over it also contributed to setting my imagination off on its little flight of fancy; you might (and probably will!) see things otherwise.

But that is, after all, the beauty and power of art, isn’t it? To call to our imaginations, and entice us on journeys. through their canvas and / or setting.

It cannot be denied that Cica’s Trolls look a lot friendlier than Tolkien’s and any grumpiness that might exude might the result of the landscape where they live. Cut through by deep channels which forced people to meander in their excursions, it may well be fun for explorers, the winding paths leading pat giant mushrooms, strange outcrops which might be rocks or petrified giant plants, some complete with wheels of stone suspended by rope from their arms to for swing-like seats, rock cars and a hidden gift.

But if you’re a troll and simply want to go from A to B to collect something? What might be a fun walk and photo opportunity for humans becomes, perhaps, an annoying chore. So, if these trolls do come off as not being especially helpful as you come across them, remember, you’re just visiting, they live here!

Caught under a mauve sky freckled with white clouds, a haze softening the horizon, Trolland makes for an engaging and fun visit to see out the year.

SLurl Details

• Trolland (Mysterious, rated Moderate)

November brings with it another foray into whimsy with Cica Ghost, as she offers an installation entitled Camels and Chameleons – which you have to admit is an interesting combination of beast and reptile!

As with recent installations from Cica, this one is extreme easy on the eye to view and offers gentle exploration on foot. The largely flat landscape offers a desert-like suggestion with adobe-style walls and structures for the most part not too far removed from the kinds of environments one might reasonably expect to find both camels and the desert varieties of chameleon common to the more arid parts of Southern Asia. These are interspersed with cacti which, whilst not common to the lands in which camels might be found, are certainly found within the more arid parts of the California, into which Chameleons have been introduced.

Of the two types of creatures, the camels are the most numerous, with two of the three recognised “true” species represented: the single-humped Dromedary (aka Arabian camel), which accounts for around 94% of all camels and which is common to the Middle East, the Sahara Desert, and South Asia, and the two-humped Bactrian camel, common to Central Asia, including the historical region of Bactria, and also found in remote areas of north-west China and Mongolia.

Exactly which species of Bactrian is represented isn’t entirely important, but given their short-haired nature, I preferred to think of them as being the rarer Wild Bactrian of China / Mongolia. The chameleons, on the other hand, are fewer in number, and I can’t help but feel Cica perhaps missed a trick in not blending them more with some of the landscaping / other features within the setting (allowing for their size, of course).

I qualified the structures within the setting above, because whilst most of them are styled in a manner in keeping with the desert / arid environments in which camels tend to be found when roaming free, there is a rather novel structure towards the centre of the installation. Comprising blocks and towers that are, at first glance vaguely reminiscent of a Middle-Eastern fortification, it also has a slight other-worldly feel to it, with some of the blocks suspended in mid air on horizontal planks bridging the gaps between other blocks, and many of them sprouting deadlock-like growths of cacti from their tops.

Rounded out with another quote from Dr. Seuss, Camels and Chameleons also includes a range of  places to sit and / or dance (including on a camel or tow!) and offers a further opportunity to appreciate Cica’s art in a whimsical and light setting.

SLurl Details

• Camels and Chameleons (Epsilon, rated Moderate)