SL Newser - Design: February 2019

By Klaus Bereznyak

Imagine you had a magic pencil that could draw 3D lines in thin air so they became real objects ... what would you draw? Cica Ghost has been busy with her magic pencil creating her latest installation, Drawn Town, in Second Life - giving us a taste of what it might feel for a whole town to come to life from a sketch. Coming as it does, so soon after her last immersive offering, Lullaby, this new sim reveals a creative mind at play, recombining elements and ideas in fresh ways that are nevertheless instantly recognisable as classic 'Cica'.

When the sim opened at the start of the month, white lines in a black, starry night outlined the moonlit town. Visitors landed in a box high above and were invited to jump through a hole and fall through the darkness into the drawn wilds surrounding the town. A short walk through the trees and plants brought them to the town where there are alleyways to explore, ladders to climb, and even a cafe where one can relax and drink drawn coffee.

It seemed as if you were walking into a child's drawing on a blackboard but, up close, everything seemed to be outlined with frosted icing. Some of Cica's installations have stories to follow, leaving space for the avatar to also make up their own. This one was introduced with just a simple quote from the Irish Actress Maureen O'Hara: "In the beginning it was all black and white."

Last week, members of Cica's group received a notice that the whole town had switched black and white: what was black was now white, and vice-versa. I went back to look and it was a very different experience in the 'daytime'. For one thing, the sun now looked down where the moon had flickered before.

Visitors to the installation will keep tripping over the cats that make an appearance, wherever Cica has been at work, but the town is also inhabited by her signature, sketched figures who have even hung out their washing to dry between the tall houses.

For the curious, there is plenty to click on and look at, including places to sit high up with great views of the streets.

Cica cars are available to drive, and easier to maneuver than many SL vehicles. Time spent here is rewarding, and I mean not popping in for a few highly unusual selfies but immersing in the playful fantasy and pondering the stories that might be behind the doors. The little details, like stars floating up from the chimneys, characters looking out from windows, and huge street lamps that look more like the standing lamps you might find in a living room, are all worth spotting.

Cica Ghost is an SL artist based in Serbia and has been drawing marvelous landscapes filled with fantastical whimsy and bringing them to life in our virtual world since 2010. Many of her creations can be bought at her store and found all over the grid, especially the cats. Virtually every single month last year (2018) saw a fresh creation unleashed, some dark, some playful, all compellingly unique and imaginative. We look forward to seeing what comes next.

SL Newser - Design

Monday, February 18, 2019

Cica Ghost's Drawn Town