PROMPT NUMBER ONE
BLOG PROMPT ONE: Non-linear Narrative
My Boyfriend Came Back from the War (1996) by Olia Lialini
PLEASE ANSWER BY POSTING COMMENTS.
Step all the way through My Boyfriend Came Back from the War
(MBCBFTW) by Russian net art pioneer Olia Lialini. What
do you think the narrative is about?
MBCBFTW may look extremely primitive now, but imagine how people
might have felt seeing it in 1996 in the very,
very early years of the internet. How might the site have challenged
expectations about web design and about linear narrative?
My Boyfriend Came Back from the War by Olia Lialini: http://www.teleportacia.org/war/
To see some of the legacy of MBCBFTW click on the "museum" link when you've made it through the site.
I'll be honest, I have basically no clue what 'MBCBFTM' is about. I don't think it's about a literal war, but instead that the war is a metaphor for something. The site mentions marriage and it sounds like a conversation between two people, perhaps signifying that the site refers to the 'war' between two people deciding when/if/how to get married.
ReplyDeleteI think that the way you need to click through the different panels and overall the general aesthetic of the site was quite contemporary for 1996. Although it's not as stand-out today, I do think that the way it presents the dialogue in a poem format, in conjunction with the use of thinks and still-images challenges the way we're used to viewing and comprehending stories.
I think this site goes against certain rules and expectations for what web design should be. It can seem confusing to navigate through, something you typically don't want for your audience or users of a site, but I think that really adds to the narrative. I think it is about trauma and how that can affect your life aside from things like PTSD- but rather bleed into your perception of other things like how you view relationships and fragility of all things. I am not sure if it is referencing a specific war, or if she is using "war" as a blanket metaphor for something traumatic or even a war going on in someone's head to make a decision about something.
ReplyDeleteMy initial thought about the page was that it was a series of images and conversations from the couple. But as I navigated throughout it I started to feel like she was trying to remember things about the past situation. That's why it doesn't follow a timeline because you can click on things as you are trying to understand the web. The images are not sharp because it represents how she remembers things in her mind, like looking at the clock as time passed or trying to remember his face. I think the web was made with the intention to look like the girl´s mind images and conversations about the situation with her boyfriend, without a timeline and very faded.Also I don't know why, but I think that he came back home but not alive and who she married is someone else that she met while he was in the war.
ReplyDeleteMy initial thought was that the entire aesthetic/design of the website reminded me a lot of Faith: The Unholy Trinity (I have a lot of horror references in my wheelhouse, are we surprised?). It has that 90's pixel style that gives me uncanny valley but on the other hand feels very solemn. It's quiet. But the actual narrative of the website very much gives off "Choose your own adventure." but if you applied it to a website. Even though you end up at the same conclusion, there's a lot of different paths you can take to get there! It's a maze of memories that you have to navigate.
ReplyDeleteInitially, I thought that the boyfriend came back from the war dead, as I began to think it was a website about the horrors of war and a tribute to his life. I quickly realized something more was at play, and instead of a tribute, it was something more akin to the emotions of the woman at home, the uncertainty, fear, and intense emotions that came with her boyfriend being a soldier, one who left her all alone. This sporadic nature of storytelling was greatly enhanced by the analog setup of the page that created an otherworldly feel, and a journey of sorts through this woman's mind, where you the viewer could interact and explore as you saw fit to. These complex ideas within this site make it a very successful as the viewer can have their own interpretations of the story as it can be digested in any order the viewer wants to see it in. Overall, it was a unique experience, and I can see how this site affected modern-day analog horror and non-linear storytelling.
ReplyDeleteMy Boyfriend Came Back from the War is impressive considering that it was created in 1996. During this time period, most websites involved practical uses like communication or research. However, this website is innovative and unique, as it tells a story through a series of hyperlinks. It is interactive for the audience, as it involves clicking various blurbs text and images. This website appears to be an early form of analog horror. It features a series of eerie black and white, high contrast images. It follows a somewhat nonlinear narrative, allowing the viewer to formulate their own theories surrounding the story, its characters, and its theme. I appreciate this approach since overanalyzing media is a hobby of mine. Take the show Gravity Falls, for instance, which involved mysteries galore and was a gold mine for fan theories. My interpretation of the story is that a relationship is falling apart due to cheating. While the boyfriend was away at war, the woman felt a flood of negative emotions. She feared for his safety and longed for him to return, as evidenced by the clock visuals. I believe that, as a result of this uncertainty, the woman became lonely and resorted to said cheating.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this interactive experience and the storytelling was phenomenal, it almost feels that the user is being immersed in the story which is very powerful. I like how the story allows the audience to raise their own questions and perceptions and puts them in a position of making decisions. The story explores how difficult it is to reconnect with your partner after being away for a long time. I believe at the end the woman confessed an affair and the boyfriend comes back, but the ending is open-ended putting the audience in a position of individual interpretation.
ReplyDeleteExploring this website was very interesting! It was amazing to get a glimpse into what advanced website building was like in the 90s. After clicking through, I think the narrative is the expression of the author's internal, conflicting feelings of heartbreak. It is implied very early that the author had an affair while her boyfriend was away at war. I believe the segments of the story resemble a mix of her own grief at what she had done, what occurred at their reunion, as well as what she hoped would occur. The website is highly interactive and does not have any structured sequence, so the timeline of the story is up to personal interpretation. I appreciate this fact because it allows the viewer to explore the author's emotions possibly how she did - in a jumble of anger, fear, anticipation, and remorse. The website's chaos represented her chaos. Additionally, I believe this site challenged expectations of linear narrative and web design because it proved that you don't need a clean-cut structure to relay a powerful message. This website was not linear at all and because of this, enhanced the desired mood and still allowed viewers to understand the story. Not to mention, early websites were extremely plain, but Olia's brought movement, graphics, image hyperlinks, and design for art, interpretation and storytelling, rather than strict functionality.
ReplyDeleteFor a website made in 1996 it's not bad at all. It really showcases what it wants to tell, and it does it in somewhat a poetic way. You are navigating through the website with images that aren't as clear yet hold weight behind them. Choosing what text to follow into the next. I love how the text creates its own square. Narrowing it down to only that narrative. You can feel how desperate she is to see her boyfriend asking questions. Where could you do? Will you marry me? If the website was strictly text, it wouldn't be as powerful. The black and white images help build a story. We are able to get an idea of what's going on. The story isn't as clear but that's what moves it.
ReplyDeleteWhile exploring the website, I had orginally thought that the site was about the husband and how he's died at war and the impacts this has had on the artist. I've come to think of a few different scenarios however, not sure which is the true one. I think one way this could be interpreted is the husband is back but heavily impacted by the war and the artist is trying to convey what that looks like. Another thought could be the husband is back but not outwardly impacted by war, however their absence has greatly impacted the artist and this is their way of coping. Either way, the click through nature of the site is very interesting as it allows the person interacting to click through in any order they'd like, making the path one takes different almost every time despite the same results that will stem from it. The monochrome color palette adds to the impacts of something serious having happened in result of the boyfriend coming back from war. The different patterns at which you can click through add to the chaos or disorganization in the artist's life at this time. I feel if I would've seen it at the time it came out, I may have been a bit frightened as it reminds me a lot of some analog horror formats in today's time. It was very interesting overall and I can't wait to hear how everyone else may have interpreted it. :)
ReplyDeleteAs I opened this site my first thought was how mysterious it was. This seems to be a series of images and interactive messages that represents an alternate reality. Each message appears to be interconnected, however random at the same time. This piece of web art is trying to get the users to formulate their own opinion and story about the narrative in my opinion. Honestly, this site is a bit creepy to me. The ominous demeanor of the site grew with every click of an image and new message. It is a quite impressive site for the time it was made at. The hyperlinks used as a form of art to create emotions and critical thinking in the user is quite witty. I feel like the use of war was to create a metaphor for what she experienced, and that helps guide users in their thought process.
ReplyDeleteI found My Boyfriend Came Back from the War (MBCBFTW) to be a very creepy looking website that
ReplyDeleteseems to tell a pretty haunting story. The website is entirely black and white, with some low
resolution photos throughout, attributing a lot to the tone. It seems to take you through the dialogue
of the woman and her boyfriend. There is some allusion that the girlfriend may have cheated on him
while he was away, saying “It was only one time,” and, “He was my neighbor.” It looks like the
boyfriend is also suffering from PTSD, as there’s a picture of a helicopter along with the line, “It
wasn’t your fault.” There are also some lines that seem to nod toward the boyfriend having killed
someone and it haunting him also. This must’ve challenged a lot of expectations back in 1996. The
internet was still a very fresh invention, and there weren’t likely many other websites that
functioned like this one. It’s certainly a unique way to tell a narrative.
I didn't like My Boyfriend Came Back From The War. I prefer linear narratives and not a jumbled mess of random thoughts. Personally, I need to watch or play games or movies in the exact order in which they came out or else my mind will not allow me to begin them. The website seems as if it were a testament to the idea of remembering events over a long span of time. The theme seems to be that of analog horror, or simply an eerie vibe. I did not like how primitive the website was and the lack of user-friendliness from a web designer’s perspective. The story from the girlfriend’s perspective seems to mirror the experiences of the boyfriend while he was away at war. I feel this is disingenuous to people that have actually experienced combat. I feel as though they are not able to be paralleled in this way and require more careful execution.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI think MBCBFTW tells a story of a woman and her boyfriend who returns home after being at war. Their coming back together is filled with tension and uncertainty. the more you click through the site, the more bits of conversation you see that reveal feelings of trauma and emotional distance.
the interent net was very new and complex in 1996 and most websites were simple and linear. MBCBFTW challenged this in several ways:
You can choose how to navigate the story, which makes each person's experience unique. This was different from typical websites that followed a straight path.
The site uses a very simple look, just text and basic images. This was unusual at the time when many sites were flashy and busy. The simplicity helps you focus on the story.
The site lets you engage with the content actively. You decide what to click on, which makes you a part of the storytelling.
Unlike many websites that focused on fun or information, MBCBFTW explores serious themes like love and trauma, making it stand out as a deeper work of art.
Overall, MBCBFTW is an important piece of early internet art that explores complex emotions and challenges traditional web design and storytelling. It opened up new possibilities for how stories could be told online.
This website was very interesting to click through. On the surface, MBCBFTW does look like a very low quality, mysterious website without the traditional prompts we are used to now, on websites. Personally, I found it very fun to click around and see everything that was interactable. It does not tell a story in a traditional way, which makes it more investing. As someone who enjoys mystery, uncanny valley, and other odd media, this website definitely piqued my interest. Upon closer look at the captions, it can be pieced together that this art piece addresses trauma and how a relationship may look when someone experiences something so horrible. Even with how old this website may be considered, it would be awesome to see more like it!
ReplyDeleteThe website has an ominous feeling to it. For some reason while click through I thought if there was a jump scare at the end. The more I read the text the more it made sense to me, it's a sad and haunting story. I like the images specially the window it's like it's on fire.
ReplyDelete- **The Narrative**: A couple struggles to reconnect after the boyfriend returns from war. Themes of love, trauma, and emotional distance are explored.
ReplyDelete- **Challenging Web Design (1996)**: At a time when websites were simple and static, this piece stood out with its interactive and artistic approach.
- **Breaking Linear Narrative**: The fragmented story and clickable choices made users actively piece together the narrative, unlike traditional storytelling.
- **Emotional Impact (1996)**: It felt intimate and groundbreaking, using the internet to create a personal and emotional experience.
- **Legacy**: The work inspired digital art and storytelling, proving the internet could be a creative medium.