SCIENCE
Informed by Scientific Research.
This work was grounded in science, drawing on research and knowledge that guided both the creative process and the act of remembrance
The Stranding Ground
Using detailed data from the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) artist Sam Gare created ‘The Stranding Ground’, translating this dataset into a large-scale installation on the very stretch of beach where the stranding took place. The installation was sited slightly up the shore from where the public were casting the sand whales, allowing a quieter and more private space for reflection
Each marker represented one whale, placed in the exact position where it was recorded. The design elements of the markers allowed visitors to read the dataset visually and spatially.
By combining spatial accuracy with these visual cues, sam made the scientific dataset both legible and tangible. Visitors could walk among the posts - the whales, tracing relationships, scale, and proximity, transforming raw data into a shared physical experience.
We would like to thank Andrew Brownlow and Mariel ten Doeschate from the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) for their invaluable contribution to this work, and Dr Rachel Ball for determining the genetic relationships as part of SMASS’s investigations into the stranding event.