The above picture is that of Jardim Gramacho, located in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. It’s a place that has gained the reputation of becoming the largest garbage dump in the world. Shocking, right? What I think is even more shocking is that I didn’t even know this place existed. And from a wider perspective, when people go about their regular days creating waste, I don’t think these sorts of haunting images go through our minds. Which is quite normal, I suppose. And I guess it’s also normal to look at images such as those of Jardim Gramacho and feel nothing but sadness and disillusionment. But renown New York based artist, Vic Muniz, is different. He looked at this and saw opportunity. And as a result, the “Waste Land” project was born.
Waste Land follows the story of Vic Muniz as he travels to his native Brazil and visits this enormous waste land. There, he collaborates with a group of the 3,000 catadores (or scavengers) in the area to create mind blowing artwork. In the end, he not only creates visual representations of his subjects, but he ends up capturing both their “dignity” and “despair” as the individuals begin to re-imagine their lives. It’s a story about art, human spirit, and about how the two are inseparable.
It’s also coming to a theatre near you so be sure to check it out!
And if you’re wondering what will become of Jardim Gramacho now that the film is already doing much to raise awareness of the conditions there, here’s a video of the filmmakers themselves with the answer. (hint: it has to do with it ending in 2012…no, seriously.)
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