The concept is simple, and not even original: link a computer to a treadmill so that a runner or walker powers a flow of information, in this case, a "mediascape." What matters is not the originality of the device or the technical innovation involved, but the way in which it is used. running (posthu)man_ asks designers to create mediascapes that question the immobility of our culture by drawing on the history of technology, pop culture, critical theory, and local landscapes. Designers are requires to run in Detroit, "The Fattest City in America." The designers are faculty and students in an interdisciplinary course within the Electronic Critique Program (E-Crit) at the University of Detroit Mercy.

The device will be showcased by Marcel O'Gorman, Director of E-Crit, at arts competitions and academic conferences in performances that run between 5-7 kilometers. The goal of these performances is to remind conference attendees--a predominantly academic crowd, famous for its immobility--of the interconnectedness of body and mind. The device is also intended as an interactive installation that allows participants to run or walk through various mediascapes.

The irony of the project is that it integrates a moving body into information processing, but the stationary treadmill does not enable the body to move across physical space. What is the point of this irony? To emphasize that fact that our bodies aren't going anywhere.

+ + critique + design = running (posthu)man_ Although the project is philosophical in nature, it is essentially an HCI (human/computer interaction) experiment conducted by students and faculty in E-Crit, Engineering, and Architectural Design. Technical components involve diverting odometer and heart rate output from a True 400HRC treadmill into serial output compatible with an iBook. The mediascapes will be designed in Macromedia Flash and FinalCut Pro.

View the running (posthu)man_ proposal submitted to the New Voices Competition at Digifest 2004 ("On the Move") in Toronto:running_digifest.pdf .