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The Mother Road & Napoliy

Kila Shan

Moderatorin
Teammitglied
The Mother Road & Napoliy

Gepostet von Silver Linden on 01.03.2010

This week Eureka spotlights two very different builds with two very similar origins.


The first, 'The Mother Road,' is a slice of Americana cut right from the 1950's that pays homage to the famous Route 66 and to the generation of poets and writers who set so many of their classic stories along its dusty roadside.


The other, 'Napoliy,' also draws inspiration from American mythology, but with very different results. A rainy, dismal place, Napoliy feels more like the set of a slasher film and yet, like 'The Mother Road,' still invokes a spirit that's very realistic, and very American.
These two builds also share another curious similarity: both were created by Japanese Residents who drew on their fascination with American culture while designing them. The creators, Macolinn McMillan and Renn Luik (Mother Road) and Tetuma Kawashima (Napoliy) all spoke with me and offered their thoughts on their builds, each other's builds, and how American culture influenced their creative vision.
The idea for 'The Mother Road' began when Renn decided to bring his love of classic Americana and the Beatnik Generation of the 1950's to Second Life. Taking inspiration from old archival photos of Route 66 and the novels of Beatnik authors like Jack Kerouac, J.D. Salinger, and Jim Carroll, Renn and Macolinn created an enchanting strip of lost highway that's as much fairy tale as it is re-creation.




The old diner, gas station, church, and pool hall exist in a world of
perpetual sunset, a place where freedom is counted in miles traveled and self-discovery (or self-destruction) is only one wrong turn away. The power of the build is obvious although it should come as no surprise given the 'no excuses' philosophy Macolinn and Renn adopted while designing it.
"Our common theme is, 'Stop producing if you compromise,'" said Renn, driving home the point that he and Macolinn were dedicated to bringing their vision of a lost America to the Grid, no matter what.



Like Renn and Macolinn, Tetuma Kawasima also had a very distinctive piece of American culture that he wanted to bring to SL. His influences however, lead him somewhere darker.
Inspired by movies and documentaries like "Silent Hill," "City of God," and "American History X," Tetuma says he wanted to "create a balance between horror and daily life." An ambitious goal, but one that Tetuma has definitely achieved, as anyone who's ever visited 'Napoliy' will attest. Described as 'unrealistically real,' a sense of uneasy and tension seeps into every rain-soaked prim, the creeping feeling that something is lurking behind every dead tree and boarded-up building is ever present.
Compared to 'Mother Road,' Napoliy is a place Kerouc and his buddies would pull over to visit--and then jump back into their cars. Mike Myers or Jason Voorhees, meanwhile, would feel right at home. Tetuma says he believes both builds share an 'American essence,' which reminds us all what fascinating and special things are possible whenever SL creators view other cultures through their own unique eyes.
Looking for more cool places to explore? Check out our Destination Guide or submit your own!
 

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