Mihály Stefanovicz

Mihály Stefanovicz, 4_Runners, 2017. Single-channel video,10 min. Selected by Tromsø Kunstforening, Norway

Four time-based scenarios featuring ultra-runners performing on treadmills, staged in gyms and private apartments throughout Norway. Stefanovicz works with the atavistic act of running and implies a post-modern, J. Baudrillard-inspired view on it: For the runner on the treadmill, landscapes are no longer of any use, the soil is far outdated. The treadmill—>mill—>wheel is perpetually turning without ever touching the ground, suspending the runner in virtual distance, eliminating the notion of a journey. The final goal is solely the ecstasy of fatigue.

The piece attempts to navigate the viewer through two separated time planes simultaneously: One that is the actual duration of the video, and the other that relates to the time that the runners spent on the treadmill. The former is measured in minutes while the latter is perceived in hours. That is to say, the stopwatch is the core of 4_Runners by providing the ultimate narrative: The passage of time.

4_Runners was developed from the multichannel video installation Document_3,4,5,6 under the support and guidance of Tromsø Kunstforening.