My Boyfriend Came Back from the War

My Boyfriend Came Back From the War is a browser-based internet artwork created in 1996 by Russian artist Olia Lialina.^[1]

The work is an example of interactive hypertext storytelling. My Boyfriend Came Back From the War consists of nested frames with black and white web pages and (sometimes animated) grainy GIF images. When clicking hyperlinks in the work, the frame splits into smaller frames and the user reveals a nonlinear story about a couple that is reunited after a nameless military conflict. The lovers find it difficult to reconnect; the woman confesses that she has had an affair with a neighbour while the returned soldier proposes marriage. The story unfolds to the point where the screen has become a mosaic of empty black frames.

Olia Lialina calls the work a netfilm, because of its similarity with cinematic narrative. The grainy black-and-white images and intertitles refer to early silent movies.^[2]

My Boyfriend Came Back From the War is included in various college syllabi, including the University of Maryland,^[3] Emily Carr University of Art and Design,^[4] and the University of California at Santa Cruz.^[5]

Remixes

Starting in 1998, My Boyfriend Came Back From the War was remixed and adapted by a number of artists. Some examples of these adaptations include JODI's Wolfenstein mod and Marton Fernezelyi's video adaptation.^[6]

References

1. "My Boyfriend Came Back From the War". Olia Lialina. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
2. "Mark Tribes teaching wiki: Olia Lialina". Retrieved 26 February 2014.
3. University of Maryland Syllabus
4. Emily Carr University Syllabus
5. UC Santa Cruz Syllabus
6. Video Adaptation of My Boyfriend Came Back From the War

External links

• Thomas Dreher: History of Computer Art, chap. VI.3.2 HTML Art with a wider explanation of Olia Lialina's "My Boyfriend Came Back From The War".