Felicity Jenkins and I travelled to Kandos NSW for the inaugural Cementa festival which ran from 1st Feb to the 4th Feb 2013. There was a distinctive vibe upon entering the small town & the excitement grew as we collected our map from 'Cementa Central' in the main street and tried to make sense of & a plan as to what to see on our first day. Navigating the smorgasbord on offer was confusing, but thankfully, I relied on Flic's erudite skills in map reading to get us around.
Bill Moseley taking a 'Tintype' photograph of me.
'Cementa_13 is a biennial contemporary arts festival which took place in the post-industrial town of Kandos NSW. Over forty artists exhibited video, installation, sound, 2d and 3d artworks in venues and locations across the town. Venues included shop fronts, vacant lots, a disused school, scout hall, local pub, the local museum, golf-course, people’s homes, the surrounding bushlands, etc. The work addresses the identity, history, and current social, environmental and economic context of the town.'
Jacquelene Drinkall 'Weatherman UFOlogy'
We stayed in Rylstone overnight which is a 10 minute drive away. The accommodation was not exactly what was depicted on the website, so we made the most of a dull room and tired evening by playing a game of 'Whats in Flic's Bag' which entailed emptying her burdensome handbag, lining up the contents, photographing and laughing at the oddity of innards which included toe seperaters!
Andrew Frost & artist panel at the Railway Hotel, Kandos.
We met artist Peter Williamson the next morning for breakfast before heading back to Kandos to see the remaining exhibits. Particularly fun was Sarah Goffman's 'Wabi-Sabi Tea in Kandos' where people were welcome to participate in a tea ceremony. Sarah's stunning outfit was made from Aussie tea towels.
The Kandos Museum was an absolute treasure trove and deserved a full day of reading and documenting on its own.
Sarah Goffman 'Wabi-Sabi tea' in Kandos
