Art in Wasteland- The story of beautiful people

I am on a mission. To watch the top 10 environmental documentaries as listed on this website: http://green-buzz.net/environment/10-must-watch-environmental-documentaries-2/ 

I have already watched the top 2. I started watching # 4 Earthlings but couldn't complete it (about animal rights and it really gets brutal and sad after a point).

So let us come to #3 : The Wasteland (2010). I was very eager, since waste management and landfills excites me! (Yes, you read that right :) ) And i wasn't disappointed. In fact was moved by this movie.

So, Vik Muniz a renowned visual artist based in New York connects to his roots and travels to his homeland Brazil. His mission being: Creating art from garbage. So he travels to Jardim Gramacho, the biggest landfill site in Rio de Janeiro (70% of Rio’s waste reaches here). And of course a documentary maker documents his entire journey and this experimental art project.

The best part about this movie is ‘human connect’ element. One can connect with each of the protagonists (waste pickers). These ordinary people have extraordinary jobs. What we throw away as waste, is handpicked by pickers and plenty of items are recovered as recyclables (saleable and source of livelihood for them). They clean our mess, literally!

There is a point in the movie where the leader of the waste pickers association says that:

“People throw away books” (can you imagine?) which he then picks up and adds to his library. He shared that he was taught to value reading, unlike others who tore the books they found and sold the paper for recycling!

There are points in the movie that will suddenly transport you from a light scene and from lively interactions to glimpses of harsh reality, like a scene where a truck enters with fresh pile and all the pickers attack it as if it is filled with gold. At another point of time, a group of pickers guess which trash is from a rich household and which is from a poor one!! It does make you smile and also makes you wonder- How does my trash end up looking in the landfill? :) Also, it makes you feel small, because we are the ones who without giving a thought throw away things just because we can afford to! While these guys are the ones who command respect, as they sort through our garbage and give meaning to it, by reusing it.

The association leader also says "I can't complain, no! God will punish me if I complain". And look at us, how we go about complaining about every other thing in our urban lives.

As Vik’s idea shapes up, he captures artistic photographs of some of the protagonists and later creates the outlines and shapes of the portraits from garbage. So empty bottles, buttons, slippers, plastic, rubber creates an amalgamation of a rare art form which is created from waste! For this, the pickers themselves volunteer. How beautiful a concept and equally beautiful is its execution (have a look at the pictures). Not only this, Vik being a popular artist auctions off these portraits and donates the money to the pickers and their association. The first auction fetches $50,000.

The documentary is beautiful and the credit roll ends with an apt soundtrack # Look at us, we are beautiful...by Moby.