Mason Richards b . Guyana 1974 ; works in California , USA
The Seawall , 2015 Single channel video , HD , color , sound , 16:9 , looped 9 minutes 59 seconds Courtesy of the artist
At the age of seven , Mason Richards and his family departed Guyana for Brooklyn , a migration story the filmmaker mines in The Seawall . Filmed entirely on location in Georgetown with local citizens turned actors , the short film illuminates a child ’ s struggle to reconcile the angst of leaving a homeland with the uncertainty of arrival in an unknown land .
Told uniquely through the perspective of Malachi , the film ’ s young protagonist , The Seawall explores the rupture migration enacts on families . The time has come to leave Guyana , and a beloved grandmother who has taken care of him , to join his mother in the United States . Their experience is common for many Caribbean parents who migrate to other countries and leave their children with family members or caregivers . Often , the parent works to acquire the funds and visas to have their children join them — a process that can take years . On the eve of leaving , a time usually filled with undeniable tension , anxiety , and chaos , The Seawall is meditatively quiet . Gestures largely take the place of dialogue . In this moment , the space of departure is defined by silence and absence .