Cementa Residency September 2023 Ellen Ferrier

I’ve been returning to this piece for months, each time writing it anew, taking a different tact.

At first I found myself writing about the detrimental effects of cement and concrete production, and why it’s more relevant than ever to imagine new materials for the future, new ways of being and seeing and engaging in the world. The role the artist plays in positing these new realities. Their ability to subvert cultural norms through language and form and movement and sound.

Then I began writing about the people, for so many of my experiences were nourished and made possible through their generosity, their authenticity, their marvellously candid nature.

Finally, I followed instructions from the late, great, American poet, Mary Oliver, and turned to my experience of Kandos - my embodied and multi-sensory observations of place.

“Instructions for living a life. 

Pay attention. 

Be astonished. 

Tell about it.” ― Mary Oliver