Tag: Cica Ghost

Cica Ghost is back for October with another whimsical installation with White, which opened its doors on October 14th, 2024. The setting uses a quote from the American portrait and genre artist, Charles Webster Hawthorne (1872-1930), who is perhaps most famous for  for his lushly painted portraits and landscapes and for founding the Cape Cod School of Art (1899):

Put variety in white.

To be honest, I’ve no idea of the context in which the quote was originally given, but Cica has taken it to heart ahead of the coming of winter in the northern hemisphere to give us a symphony of white from the ground on which we walk when visiting to the sky overhead. Has it snowed? Is the world frosted?  Are we perhaps in another realm entirely? You decide.

Certainly, the creatures scattered through the landscape are somewhat otherworldly; some appear slug-like (but friendly – for the most part!) as they sit upon the pockmarked white of the ground; others appear to be partially extruded from that very ground, as if squeezed up from below – or perhaps they are simply lying partially buried for some reason; still other looks like alien mice, small (compared to their companions!) and potentially huggable. Some even look like hills within the landscape – at least until their maws open in a long, slow yawn-like motion.

The structures here are equally strange, carrying with them the feeling that they’ve also been extruded from the ground – or some giant little boy or girl has been building the more extraordinary sandcastle-like creations as they raise trumpet-like appendages to the sky.

But then, also, there are the tall flowers, snowdrop-like in their white innocence and the monochrome butterflies flittering overhead (and under at least one of which people can ride); these look so natural, so familiar, it’s hard to place this strange place as being anywhere else than on Earth. And perhaps it is; perhaps it is a dreamscape, and we are invited to be travellers crossing it. The choice is yours.

And that’s the beauty of Cica’s installations: they allow us a moment of escape, a chance to relax and inhale the air of whimsy. so – enjoy!

SLurl Details

• White by Cica Ghost (Mysterious Isle, rated Moderate)

August brings with it – for those of us in the northern hemisphere – the latter part of summer and the promise that autumn is about to get out out of bed and start looking in our direction. But before it arrives there is still time for those who wish to grab the opportunity and have some summer fun – be it a vacation or simply a little time at the seaside.

It is the latter – a trip to the seaside – that Cica Ghost celebrates in her August 2024 installation Summer Camp. While it many not have anything to do with the more formalised affairs families in various countries pack their kids off to for a part of summer, Cica’s setting does have much to offer the kid residing in all of us: sand castles, friendly dinosaurs, happy-go-lucky snakes, fishy cars to sit on, opportunities to dance.

As is usual with Cica, the installation is framed by a quote, this one from a poem by the American poet, writer and physician, William Carlos Williams.

In summer the song
sings itself 

– William Carlos Williams, The Botticellian Trees

Williams’ work is a fascinating trove; most closely associated with the modernism and imagism movements, both in word and art, his poetry drew on multiple inspirations whiles often centres of related imagery – such as trees.

The Botticellian Trees itself interweaves the theme of trees and reflection on art (or at least, an artist, hence in part the title), but it is perhaps best know for this pair of lines, fully capturing as they do all of the beauty, promise and feeling that summer can bring, regardless of our age. Here, it perfectly captures the essence of Summer Camp.

There’s really not too much else to say about this installation; it is very much something to be experiences rather than read about. The creatures and figures found throughout are offered for sale in Cica’s shop, storefronts for which are perched up on the cliffs overlooking this sandy realm. The fish cars may be static, but they still offer places to sit (and other can – as usual – be found throughout), with a touch of acrobatics / balancing thrown in as well. And then there are the sand castles to wander through and (in places) climb, while for those who’d like more of a bird’s eye view (or should that be crow’s eye view 🙂 ), there’s always the balloon floating serenely overhead.

So – go see and enjoy!

SLurl Details

• Summer Camp (Mysterious Isle, rated Moderate)

June brings with it Cica Ghost’s installation for the the month, located on her Homestead region of Mysterious Isle, and this time it is a little different from recent installations from Cica.

Entitled Under the Stars, it comes with a quote from John Green’s debut novel (2005), Looking for Alaska, which – as with the majority of the quotes Cica uses – frames the theme of the installation, without necessarily reflecting the source it is taken from (in this case, Looking for Alaska being a coming of age story):

At some point we all look up and realize we are lost in a maze.

– John Green

Instead, the quote literally describes the core of the setting – a maze carved into the ground and sitting under s starry sky. The landing point sits at the start of the maze and to one side of the region, the way forward marked by high walls of terrain and the path quickly splitting. Which arm you take is entirely up to you – but what I would suggest is that you resist the temptation to cam upwards and look at what might be sitting above and instead allow the maze to unfold before you.

This actually makes describing the setting a little hard, as it really is best taken as a voyage of discovery. However, within the maze is a series of open spaces, some of which are home to giant creatures of fantasy; but these are not monsters; rather they are more like oversized cuddly toys, some of which bring to mind memories of Dr. Seuss. All are sleeping, the stars overhead looking like lights spread across a green sky of grass, presenting the feeling we are somehow underground whilst at the same time suggesting the creatures are all lost in happy dreams. Those spaces with a creature contain one of Cica’s marvellous drawings.

Also scattered through the maze are ladders leading up to the ground above. These can be climbed to reveal what lay overhead. Again, I don’t want to spoil things by saying too much here.

With a number of places to sit, creatures to photograph (and purchase!), Under the Stars is another genuine delight from Cica and fully deserving of a visit.

SLurl Details

• Under the Stars (Mysterious Isle, rated Moderate)

Under the sea,
Under the sea.
Cica makes it better
Down where it’s wetter
Take it from me.
Up on the shore we work all day
Out in the sun we slave away
While down in the Ocean
We can be floatin’
At Bubbles for free.

OK, so those aren’t exactly Howard Ashman’s lyrics (and yes, they are probably cringe-inducing – but then, that’s what I’m here for 😀 ), but they do apply to Cica’s Ghost’s April 2024 installation Bubbles, a fun trip down into the ocean depths (well, semi-depths at least).

This is a place where fronds of seaweed rise from a quilted sea floor, their growths interspersed with small carpets of flowers while the flat patchwork of the sea floor is interrupted by gatherings of pointed, steep-sided knolls and lumpy rocks, the latter often sprouting plant growths from their tips / tops. Within this undersea realm bubbles rise effortlessly and a host of sea creatures are waiting to greet visitors – some of which might be responsible for the strange little houses scattered throughout the setting.

From a static clam (or possibly an oyster – you decided which!) that sits open as a place to sit, through little fishes happily swimming in circles to a giant sea turtle, the denizens of this realm pose no threats to visitors. Indeed, several offer opportunities to sit on / with them or to play with them as you do handstands, whilst a starfish clings to the side of one of the houses as if engaged in a game of hide-and-seek and hoping it will not be discovered.

The little houses are all unfurnished, but that’s fine; fish rarely need a bed to sleep on and chairs offer little comfort to lobsters or octopi. However, the shells to be found outside the front of some of the houses do offer the chance to get together and dance for a while (perhaps while singing Ashman’s actual lyrics from The Little Mermaid). For those who prefer to make some music, Cica has provided a little electronic piano sitting on a hill – and the fish circling it  seem only too willing to listen to anyone opting to tinkle the keyboard.

When visiting, do keep an eye out mer-like couple who may be the custodians of this little underwater realm; they might appreciate a little hello from you as well!

SLurl Details

• Bubbles (Mysterious Isle, rated Moderate)

February 2024 brings us a touch more whimsy from Cica Ghost, with the opening of her latest installation, Colourado. Continuing the theme found within several of her more recent installations, Colourado presents a seen designed to raise a smile and allow with child within each of us a little room to come out and play, a sentiment reinforced by the quote accompanying the installation:

Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened. 

– Terry Pratchett

It’s a sentiment I find increasingly true with the passing years, although I also admit that I try to live by Ashleigh Brilliant’s words as well¹, so whimsy and fun always appeal.

Within the installation, we are presented with a sleepy village with its houses scattered among open spaces and high plateaux and peaks which go some way to explaining Cica’s play on the installation’s name and that of a certain US state (the name also obviously reflecting the setting’s colour palette). And when I say “sleepy”, I’m not writing figuratively; the houses all wear curly night caps of the kind beloved of cartoon, and some have a look about them suggesting they are ready to toddle off to the land of dreams (particularly those with wide-open fronts, even if the large space is really for people to practice balancing on the gently pogoing stools within).

On first encountering them, I thought the denizens of this little hamlet were fruit. I think this was because the first ones I encountered were purple in colour and they put me in mind of the adverts for a certain blackcurrant cordial drink we have in the UK (and which may well be known by other names elsewhere). However, they are in fact potatoes, small and (very) large, and are far from limited to being purple in colour. These happy villagers share there space with a mix of wildlife, all of whom appear to be equally at home in the village and its surroundings, and equally friendly.

As is common with Cica’s installations, there are several interactive elements, so you can sit and chat with a potato, try the stool balancing mentioned above, express your joy through dance under the eaves of house or the balloon-like trees, climb and cross ladders – you can also go for a spin if you wish, although wearing a swimming costume and being prepared to hold you breath are both advisable!

SLurl Details

• Colourado (Mysterious Isle, rated Moderate)

1. “The older you get, the more important it is to not act your age.”

October 2023 sees artist and builder Cica Ghost presents something a little different for Second Life users to enjoy. In Cica’s Workshop we find not a new fantastical landscape or garden or alien world or other setting where our imaginations might go wandering through thoughts of faerie and folk tales or memories of childhood or other such avenues. Instead, it sits as a kind of living gallery, a celebration of many of Cica’s creations down the years, and a place where if we’re so-minded we can pick up copies of her work either directly or via convenient links to her Marketplace listings.

For those with a long familiar with Cica’s work, this is a chance to take a walk down memory lane – which I found myself doing. For example, throughout the region-wide exhibition there are her 2D drawings, large and small, which carry with them memories of installations such as The Visitors (2014), wherein she brought a flavour of occupancy to the former art centre The Lost Town – La Città Perduta. These figures also offer a reflection of her monochrome characters from her 2012 installation Cica, which rightly brought her widespread attention in Second Life, and also 2013’s Ghostville, which I believe is the first of Cica’s installations I ever blogged.

Meanwhile, up on the flat crown of a hill sits a pastel cream garden and little house. The latter brings to mind many of Cica’s builds stretching all the way back to around 2014 as well, when her Little Village made its first appearance. These little houses, varying in size whilst often retaining their general looks and proportions, have gone on to appear in many of Cica’s designs, such as Moonlight (2016, and still one of my favourites among Cica’s installations) and very uniquely within Drawn Town (2019).

This is a place inhabited by many of Cica’s animal and creature creations, from her ever-popular sheep and cows, through to her dinosaurs, which I think first appeared within 20022’s Dinosaurs and Coconuts, her residents of Burlap, and cast from Monsters and ever-friendly Elephants (all from 2020) – and more besides.

In addition, several new characters are waiting to befriend visitors, whilst the installation also includes many items from Cica’s furniture range for those looking for something a little different for home and / or garden. And if you fancy having a near-avatar scale sandcastle for your beach or spending a little time in an anti-gravity cage – Cica has you covered.

Even for those who may be relatively new to Cica’s work and her marvellous imagination, Cica’s Workshop offers and lot to see and enjoy – and possibly purchase along the way. As such, and while it may not be a “traditional” Cica presentation, it nevertheless shouldn’t be missed.

SLurl Details

• Cica’s Workshop (Mysterious Isle, rated Moderate)