Public Beach Access
Title
Public Beach Access
Year
2010
Medium:
Video [8:39]
Dimensions:
13"(W) x 12'(D) x 35"(H)
Credits:
Omar Estrada (Filmmaker)
Alexandra Majerus (Photography)
Collector:
Collection of artist
All my life I’ve regularly gone to the beach. My weekly saltwater healing happens in the Caribbean Sea. For decades, I have listened to Barbadians engage in polarised discussions about the startling rate of the disappearing windows-to-the-sea, impacting those without private coastal properties who find it increasingly difficult to access our beaches, a national resource which should be readily available to all citizens.
Ten years ago, I produced Public Beach Access, a video documenting my repeated action of measuring ten public beach access points to ascertain how many feet of beach access remains available to locals on seven miles of the most lucrative stretch of the West Coast of Barbados. Throughout the work, I sing a 1982 hit song composed and performed by local musician, Anthony “Gabby” Carter, called “Jack!”. This song originally responded to the Barbados Board of Tourism’s legal counsel advising hotel owners that they had the right to extend their property down to the waterfront. On the seven mile stretch of coastline I measured in 2010, I realised that locals have 0.027 miles of public beach access.
The issue is increasingly critical. In July 2019 a Concerned Citizens of Barbados group developed an online petition titled Keep The Sea Window At Accra/Rockley Open and printed a 250 page document, with over 5,000 signatures, delivered to the Planning Unit (of Town & Country Planning). This is one of the very last openings to the sea and it is about to be lost to tourism development. The petition does not seem to have had any impact.
This work was shown in the group exhibition, “Water” at the Queens Park Gallery, Barbados, and curated by Therese Hadchity in 2019. The video was shot and edited by Omar Estrada.
