Waulking to the Beat of the Sea by Daniel Gough was a modern interpretation of an old Renfrewshire waulking song, comprising of a series of drawings printed and installed via strips of paper ‘graffiti transfers’ for Cycle Arts Festival 2022. The installation featured at Bridge no 15 at The Old Road entrance to the Cycle Route at Elderslie PA5 9EH, creating an illusion of movement similar to an early animation techniques such as a ‘Phenakistoscope’.
The piece interprets an old Renfrewshire waulking song about a woman who has lost her love to the sea and is asking for it to release him back to her. These types of Gaelic songs are entrenched in the deep intangible heritage of Scotland and an older way of life. They can be sad and romantic but also funny and silly, they would often be a way for the community to come together and would descend into laughter, a time of release for these women who worked and lived hard lives. It would often prompt them to tease each other about crushes and even allow time for cathartic outpourings of emotion. Daniel wanted to revisit this tradition from an entirely different point of view, bringing together his passion for visual storytelling, drawing and animation.
During the Festival week recording of the Gaelic song was heard as you passed under the bridge or as you stop to look at the artwork.
