On 8th February, Cica Ghost opened her latest installation, Oh My Heart. As always, she accompanied it with a quotation. This time it reads, “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.” attributed to Winnie the Pooh.
Before exploring the landscape itself, I would suggest using the shared environment. Cica herself writes that her Windlight is part of her work, and she is quite right. Change the light and the character of the build shifts. Under her setting, the sky is blue with reddish-tinged clouds, and a soft blue haze lingers in the air, blurring distance slightly and adding a dreamlike quality.
Whimsy on a Grand Scale
Designed for Valentine’s Day, Oh My Heart feels playful and full of charm. Steep green hills rise beneath dark, slab-like terraces, while red and black chequerboard areas spread across the landscape.
Cica’s familiar giant creatures are here too. Enormous whimsical elephants, a white rabbit and a Princess each clutch a heart.
A white monster shapes a heart with his hands.
Heart-shaped figures with moving eyes and big mouths stand on long thin legs, banded black and white like striped socks, ending in large boots.
There are dances and playful animations throughout. It is light, imaginative, and quietly joyful.
Looking a Little Closer
And yet, as I wandered, I found myself pausing.
Each of the heart creatures bears visible stitching, like careful surgical seams, as if their hearts had been broken and repaired. Some wear distinctly sad expressions.
The two elephants, the only blue figures in the region, stand some distance apart and look subdued. The rabbit, the monster, and the Princess also seem alone.
The trees, too, form heart shapes with bending stems, yet many carry sharp thorns. Some have thorns and no leaves at all.
I would not say the installation suggests love is sorrowful. However, it does not feel idealised or simple. There is tenderness here, but also vulnerability. Perhaps that is the point. Hearts can be joyful and fragile at the same time.
It may well be that now Valentine’s day has passed Oh My Heart may not remain long. Still, it feels more thoughtful than seasonal decoration.
During my visit, I met Yumix Writer, a Japanese photographer active on X. We chatted and took a small commemorative photo . Moments like this quietly underline how Second Life continues to connect people from different parts of the world.
A Final Thought
As always, Cica includes a small shop within the region, and her wider work can be found on the Second Life Marketplace and at her main store. Her installations reward slow exploration, and this one is no exception.
Useful Links
Cica’s Inworld Shop
Cica Ghost on Marketplace
Cica’s personal Flickr stream
Cica Ghost Flickr Group
All my older posts about Cica Ghost here and the latest ones here
For other perspectives on Oh My Heart, you may wish to read reviews by Inara Pey and Susann DeCuir
Exploring Second Life
If you’d like to see more places like this, follow my blog, Exploring Second Life, where I share both the grand builds and the smaller “quick stops” that make the grid so rewarding.
Join us in the Second Life Destinations Facebook Group, where bloggers share new finds.
Photographers: post your snapshots in the Second Life Destinations Flickr Group.
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