Gore ot uma di Olga Tobreluts: la metamorfosi di un classico

Abstract

The contribution proposes an analysis of the transposition of a great classic Russian comedy on screen. We will consider one of the pioneering Russian videoart projects, the Gore ot uma (Woe from Wit) (1994) by Olga Tobreluts. The work presents itself as the representation on the screen of the nineteenth century famous pièce by Alexandr Griboedov. But as the video begins it is suddenly clear it is not just merely a mise en scène. As Bruce Sterling pointed out it results to be more appropriate referring to it as an act of ‘mutation’. The work explores the possibilities of digital collage, mixing various references to different époques, uniting past and present.