Waste Land

          The film “Waste Land” by Vic Muniz was an extraordinary film that revealed and proved that art can truly change peoples’ lives. In this film, Vic Muniz’s idea on taking garbage; useless or unappreciated items, and making it into art, changed not only his life in such a positive way, but it also changed the lives of 6 people and ACAMJG community. Before I move forward, a little background on Vic Muniz and how this huge project of his came to be. He was born into a working class family in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In his earlier days, he was shot in the leg and after all that commotion; he came to New York City where he worked. First he began his career as a sculptor but then gradually he became interested in photography. He became so interested in using garbage, dirt, diamonds, sugar, strings, wire and syrup as the main use in his art that he just had to travel to Brazil’s ACAMJG (the Association of Recycling Pickers of Jardim Gramacho).

            In ACAMJG, you’ll find the most hardworking catadores (collectors) working getting a pay ranging from $20-$25. The would rush to the dump truck where there, they have to quickly sort out the garbage into specific categories for example, all bottles go together, all metals go together and etc. Many of these catadores had no other choice but to work in the landfills because it was the only way they could earn money for themselves and/or their families to survive. Vic Muniz spoke to 6 different people who were part of this community/workforce. There was Tiao, Zumni, Suelem, Isis, Irma and Magna. Each of them has their own story to why they ended up being garbage pickers and after Vic Muniz’s project, each person had a different intake on their job as a catadores and plus, they were given a second chance in life.

            Tiao started picking garbage at the age of 11 years and eventually became the president of ACAMJG. He’s wanted to improve the lives of the people that work as catadores, but it is just so difficult out there. During the film, I learned that someone had taken away all of the money that people had earned. About $6,000 was taken away. Vic Muniz, along with the others made a mural out of the garbage from the waste land, of Tiao as he imitates one of the well known arts in New York. After the mural was done, it went for auction for $50,000 and that is the amount that Tiao had gained. Taio believes that the main benefit wasn’t just the money but the film itself, which has mobilized a lot of people towards their cause and acts as a huge awareness campaign.

            Zumbi started picking around in the landfill since he was nine years old. His whole family has passed away and he works in the landfill making a living. What he did was whenever he saw a book, he would keep them. He had a whole collection of books and he dreams of sharing it out with the community. With the money raised, eventually him and Tiao had built a library at ACAMJG which is now running with more than 7000 books and plus there’s a room with computers and a learning center.

            Suelem is one of the characters I enjoyed learning about. She has been working in the landfill since she was seven and now she’s eighteen with two children. With an abusive and drug addict husband/father, she decided to leave and live with her mom, sisters and just her two kids. But because she has to work, she cannot see her children all the time. They have to stay with her mom all the time. After Vic’s project, she stopped working in the landfills when she finally met someone and got married. She now has a 2^nd son and she has bought a house and doesn’t plan on returning to Gramacho again.

            Isis never ever liked working in the landfills but she has to put up with it to gain money. She went through a rough time after losing her husband and being separated from her only living child. Her other child unfortunately died when very young. She hates working in the landfills, picking up garbage. She has a passion for fashion although and after she has worked with Vic and along with the others to make the mural of herself, she finally got out of working in the landfill. She now works with a Jewelry designer called Mana Bernades who too, uses recycled jewelry and soon enough she married happily to a supportive and very nice man and she lives with him and his stepson.

            Irma is the resident chef who cooks up “plat du jour” from the freshest ingredients that are available to her at Gramacho. Art changed her life in a sense that she left Gramacho and set up a little restaurant with juices and food to sell in her neighborhood. She loves and misses the people back at Gramacho, so she decided to go back and continue cooking for the catadores.

            Last but not the least is Magna. She went through a rough time after her husband lost his job. Every time she would be on her way to work, everyone would be smelling up in the air wondering what that bad aroma would be and Magna would just stand her ground and straight up tell the people that it was her that had a bad stench, but only because she was working hard in the landfills trying to make money. She didn’t let that type of action affect her because she knew the reason behind it and plus no one was in her shoes to say otherwise. Art has changed in her life in a sense that now, she’s working in a pharmacy and with the money gained from the portrait, she was able to move out from Gramacho and buy herself her own house, a van and with a successful divorce, she is now living happily with her 11 year old son.

            So the question here is, can art change peoples’ lives? The answer is yes! As seen with these examples, Vic Muniz’s project helped uplift these people to start a new life and to search for a better beginning. The people from Gramacho started at a very low point in their lives but after Vic’s inspirational art project, using garbage and other useless trash to create something so meaningful and ironically beautiful was definitely priceless.