The above video shows a build by Pon-P. It’s an extraordinarily beautiful creation that conjures the quaint, comfy environment of a European market town, with tiled roofs, picket fences and homely furnishings that suggest the decorator isn’t quite ready to leave the Victorian era behind. There’s a sense of nostalgia for a quieter time, a longing for somewhere restive away from the hustle and bustle of modernity - and much of this comes down to the exquisite texture set Pon-P has used: the cocricot texture pack, by Japanese artist Kixiko.
The pack adds a great deal of detail and warmth to the traditional Minecraft building materials: nether bricks become thick carpet-blocks, cobblestone walls become ornate stone balustrades, gold ore becomes plaster with timber framing - reminiscent of Tudor buildings. Chiselled wood panels, striped awnings, weather vanes in the shape of chickens, distinctively British red phone booths - it’s a really well observed pick-'n'-mix of details that encapsulates a disappearing world of old Europe.
It’s gorgeous. I love it. It makes me feel warm and comfortable and strangely sad at the same time. Weird, huh? Even stranger that this longed-for European past should be the work of someone outside of Europe. I wanted to know more about this genius! Luckily, I was able to get friend of Mojang and language expert James York to translate a few questions for her.
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