I thought "My Boyfriend Came Back From the War" was a very powerfully written website. By having the viewer click on each link, Olga Lialina also draws the viewer into the progressing storyline. She combines this with stark colorations and undecipherable pictures to test the viewer's imagination.

The viewer has no idea what is expected of him, in that the storyline is not straight-forward at all. It is nebulous and open to the viewer's own interpretation. In this way, the site is very similar to a Roscharch ink blot, bringing his own experiences and explanations into what seems to be a highly personal event.

Another fascinating aspect of this site is the fact that it is so timeless. It is impossible, or at least extremely difficult, to figure out what time the site is set in. It could have been during the Gulf War, or the Vietnam War, World War II, or anything before or after.

The vagueness inherent in this site makes it highly personalizable, even though it seems to be describing such a very private experience. This makes it appealing to large audiences. The setup of the site is very user friendly, even though it may seem daunting at first sight. Overall, I believe Olga Lialina did an excellent job of creating an artistic website that can be applealing to so many different people in very different ways.

Back to the critique page.
Back to my main page.