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Last Wednesday night Ann and I attended Midtwestern Council Open Day to ask for funding and the use of public facilities for Cementa. That night, as we waited our turn, we were able to listen to the local residents addressing some of their serious community concerns. Predominately, it was the coal mines that had the gallery overflowing with concerned residents. We listened to many protests that centred around the impact of the mines as they surreptitiously attempted to build factories and accommodation in quiet, rural communities. We listened to one man who told the story of a factory that was being built just up the street from him; the first he'd heard about it was when he was asked for a quote to pour 1200 sq metres of concrete. An elderly woman who had moved to the country to retire had just found out that the mines wanted to build accommodation for 300 men to live next door. She was concerned for her safety, and regardless of whether her fears are well founded, we are talking about the building of a small, self-sufficient town that has no desire to integrate themselves into an already existing community. As we sat and listened to some of these heart wrenching stories, we wondered if we weren't going to come off as a trivial item, a light entertainment piece. But we stood up anyway, Ann at the podium and myself at the computer, ready to show them some pretty pictures on a prissy little powerpoint presentation.
As Ann began her talk, comparing the 19th Century Rylstone and Mudgee architecture to the 20th Century iconic modernist architecture of Kandos, it became clear that spirits were lifting and we were being taken seriously. Telepathy by Haines and Hinterding was met with a gasp as Ann described a chamber within which the only sound you can hear is your heartbeat and your nervous system. Mataraga's painting in the expanded field received an approving "aha" and ARTCycle's Fender Blender (a bicycle powered smoothie blender) aroused a giggle. Cementa13 was an alternative to the grim reality of dealing with the mines; we were appreciative of the town's existing assets, we were integrating ourselves with the community, and our focus was on environmentally sound practices. Over the last few months of dreaming on this festival, Ann, Alex and I, have sat up late at night, isolated in our drinking circle, loving all the latest developments and ideas that the artists and community bring to the table. Of course we love it: we struggle through funding applications, we fight over every little detail; sometimes we are selfishly determined to put this festival together and sometimes the only thing that keeps us going is obligation (we said we'd do it, so we'd bloody well better do it). But either way, we think its a good idea. Ann finished her fabulous talk and I asked for the money and amenities. We were met with an applause from some of the town's people and even some of the councillors. Next week the councillors will discuss our proposal and decide on what they are prepared to give us.