As
the ‘mobility’ of the gaze became more ‘virtual’--as
techniques were developed to paint (and then to photograph) realistic
images, as mobility was implied by changes in lighting (and then
cinematography)--the observer became more immobile, passive, ready
to receive the constructions of a virtual reality placed in front
of his or her unmoving body.
-Anne Friedberg, Window Shopping
We
live in a culture of the screen, an environment that demands increasing
physical immobility. As digital media critics have pronounced for
decades, a digital culture is a culture of “radical disembodiment,”
one in which individuals sit still for hours at a time immersed in
virtual space. Hailing
from Detroit, "The Fattest City in America" (Men's
Fitness, 2004) , the DREADMILL requires the participant
to walk and run on a treadmill that powers a multimedia display of
video, still images, text, and graphics. The participant’s speed
and heart rate determine the appearance of the display.
Those who interact with the Dreadmill are challenged to consider the
interconnectedness of body and mind, a holistic concept that has been
lost in an information-driven culture. Ancient Greek poets and philosophers
literally walked through their ideas, drawing on physical movement
to both stimulate dialogue and recall information. The Dreadmill is
a step toward recovering that aesthetic for a digital age.
In
its current, beta form, the Dreadmill is engaged in a performance
piece and installation by Marcel
O'Gorman about the interrelation of death and technology. The
point of this goth topic is to demonstrate the many ways in which
technology challenges us to outstrip nature in the pursuit of a "posthuman,"
digital materiality. The challenge ends when one is forced to confront
the finitude of the human body. To this end, the performance, in 5
to 7 grueling kilometers, is a visceral provocation to stop denying
this finitude, and to integrate the body more fully into digital environments.
The installation combines a polished video of this performance with
an interactive simulation that allows users to interact with the dreadmill
themselves.
DREADMILL
is also a learning tool for students of digital design, media criticism,
and electrical engineering. The project has been integrated into interdisciplinary
courses in Electronic Critique at the University of Detroit Mercy:
Winter,
2004 | Winter,
2005.
DREADMILL
was initially developed by the following faculty and students at the
Univesity of Detroit Mercy:
- Marcel
O'Gorman - Director / Associate Professor of Electronic Critique
-
Mark Paulik - Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering
-
Nathan Blume - student of Electronic Critique
- Morgan
Davenport - student of Electrical Engineering
- Ryan
Davis - student of Electrical Engineering
