Movement

The main event of Keening: Song of the Stranding was a guided performance of music and sand casting, led by choreographer Aya Kobayashi. Using Sam Gare’s life-size wooden mould, the community carried it on a hand-built platform to the rest of the pod, which had been cast by the public earlier in the day. There, two life-size sand whales were cast, chosen for their strongest family connections.

Aya’s choreography guided participants throughout the process. Her direction of collective movement, using breath, hand gestures, and gentle touch, helped the group move together intentionally while also allowing spontaneous actions, such as holding hands or touching the whales. Each gesture became an act of remembrance, embodying both the physical and emotional labour of the 2023 rescue.

The platform carrying the mould, inspired by Hebridean funeral biers and echoing cetacean rescue pontoons, created a symbolic space connecting mourning with the effort to save life. Moving the mould collectively and casting the whales on site allowed participants to inhabit the memorial fully, creating a living, participatory tribute to both the whales and the community that responded during the original stranding.

Alex South (clarinet), Nerea Bello (voice) and , Katherine Wren (viola) performed their original composition throughout the performance, woven into each stage of the process, enhancing the emotional resonance and deepening the sense of connection.