When i first entered Artspace the first work that really held my attention was Marcus Coates video installation. I watched 2 out of the 4 films set up, showing his performance as well as a documentary style film. The largest screen was devoted to his concert 'Elephant and Castle', which was based on a live performance in London. However in his other videos Coates is respinding to a community board in relation to the redevlopment of London's Elephant and Castle area.
Throughout all of these performances, which the audience doesnt know to take him seriously or not (irrelevant imo), Coats takes on the role of some type of modern day shaman. He has a very dry, booshian humour to his delivery of a mystical story to the council about how small geese make nests under his armpits as walruses perch themselves atop mountain sides. He then relates this experience to the need to keep community plans in perspective of reachable standards. Coinciding this was his live performance, dressed in the same suit as in the meeting with a horse head on, he achieves a ritualistic style performances. As he speaks in 'animal tongue' Coates mixes genres he enters a trance like state.
I found both his insights into public problems and issues through a shaman medium not only hilarious but believable, as well as his concert to be enjoyable to watch. I think a work like this could only function in a space such as Artspace as the individual experience of the piece wouldn't be successful in a space such as AGNSW.
Journey to the Lower World, 2004 (still)
2 screen DVD installation, 30 minutes.
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