Dave
Dave is a reference to Michelangelo’s luminous marble carving of David, the epitome of male perfection for centuries.
By projecting this thinking into the contemporary realm, the new version of David (or ‘Dave’ as he is known to friends) cuts a benign figure in the midst of social change. Originally fabricated in enamel coated polyurethane and installed along the coast of Bondi (Sculpture By The Sea 2016), Dave, assisted by 3D modelling from a maquette, now has versions in Bronze and anodized aluminium. With gender rules and traditional male stereotypes fading Coady describes Dave’s characteristics as more baby boomer than millennial, a journey in time that has redefined notions of masculinity.
Morph
Morph is an alter-ego invented by Coady. Every aspect of Morph’s performances speak of maintaining control and composure within apparently confined or tedious environments.
Whatever message Morph is trying to convey in videos like Head Case, Foot Tapping Music With The Wrong Shoes on Morph or Morph Movement, it occurs through repetitive bodily movements alone. The Morph suit itself is skin-tight. It is unclear whether Morph is a captive both in the suit and the room in which it is filmed. Are the videos sent to us as some sort of cry for help from a hostage?
Morph does not interact with the audience directly, but at one step removed from the emotional interaction that an audience invariably expects, it is one way ultra controlled traffic. All of Morph’s ‘messages’ are delivered to audiences by sophisticated technologies and embrace high quality production values. These are not rough cut videos by an amateur; to the contrary, these are videos which have been made with the expectation that they should endure as records of an unfolding and as yet, unclear narrative. Like the expanding series of pill sculptures, when all of Morph’s performances and all of the messages are placed in sequence over an elongated period of years, the meaning of individual instalments might be clarified. Certainly, there is an air of urgency and anxiety to Morph’s performances which would appear to suggest that others should take some form of action, being no time to waste.
From the left: Breath Deeply, Morph, Suck it Up
Wrong Shoes - Projection
