Moscosmos, 1996

Sergei Shutov is a pioneer of the art of new media in Russia, a classic of Russian video art. In the 1990s he actively explored the possibilities of digital technologies, experimenting with image and sound. ‘Moscosmos’, one of the landmark works of this period, is a psychedelic remake of ‘Springtime’ (1947, dir. Grigory Alexandrov), a Soviet comedy with elements of science fiction that takes place in a fictional Institute of the Sun. By means of colour and sound distortions, animation and special effects, Shutov deconstructs the original work and creates a futuristic version of the film, inspired by the artist’s key theme of space.