Alex Wisser
Artist, Creative Producer – Cementa Arts Festival
Session title
Shifting Cement The story of how a place based arts and cultural event helped a “cement town” face change
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Abstract
In 1914 the cement factory that Kandos was built around first started production. From those initial years, Kandos’ cement factory went on to become the town that “helped build NSW”. Decade after decade, the cement factory was at the heart of both the state’s growth and the town’s prosperity. Yet in 2011, only three years shy of its hundredth birthday, the factory closed, a victim of economic reality. In a further blow to Kandos and the wider region’s economic prospects, the Centennial Coal mine closed in 2015. With the town’s two primary employers having shut, the town’s existence was in question.
In this session, Alex Wisser the Cementa Arts Festival Co Founder and current Creative Director will take us through how the festival has gone on to be a 365 day contributor to the regeneration of Kandos and the wider region
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Bio
Alex lives and works in regional NSW in the town of Kandos. His practice involves large-scale, long-term projects that reflect place and community. He has been at the heart of creating and developing Cementa Festival and the Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation, both regionally based, socially embedded arts initiatives that work to deliver social and economic benefits to their communities. He has participated in delivering five successful Cementa festivals, giving over 200 artists the opportunity to explore delivering art that is relevant to place and local culture. His work has also included long-term engagements with farming communities seeking to change the culture of farming to more sustainable
methods, which has then led to the formation of several festivals and public
explorations of regenerative farming.
