Dates

• 12 Jul 2025, 4 p.m., Community Hall, North Tolsta (Isle of Lewis), Scotland, UK, Artist website

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Repertoire Keening - Song of the Stranding, by Alex South

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Description

Keening – Song of the Stranding

Whale sand sculptures to return to the sea in an emotional tribute to the 2023 mass pilot whale stranding on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides.

Traigh Mhor Beach and North Tolsta Community Hall, Isle of Lewis

Events running throughout the day on Saturday 12 July 2025

Full Programme

Keening – Song of the Stranding is a community-driven and deeply collaborative project informed by scientific research and local workshops. It will culminate in a communal act of creating sand sculptures of whales on the beach, led by visual artist Sam Gare and choreographed by Aya Kobayashi. The sculpting will be accompanied by music composed and performed by Alex South, Katherine Wren, and Nerea Bello, combining influences from long-finned pilot whale sounds and keening (lamenting) traditions. We hope that performing the work will strengthen the emotional connection between community and nature through art. At the end of the performance, the sand whale sculptures will be reclaimed by the tide. The project integrates marine research, historical archives, and creative storytelling, fostering a deeper public connection to whale strandings. By blending scientific research with artistic interpretation, the project reflects on our evolving relationship with whales, conservation, and ecological change.

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Performers Katherine Wren, Alex South, Nerea Bello

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Submitted by Alex South