VIK MUNIZ & Wasteland
February 6th, 2011 § 5 Comments
Artist Feature, vol. 3
"Marat (Sebastiao)" Vik Muniz, 2008
If you haven’t yet heard, this Brazilian native turned world-renowned visual artist went to one of the largest dumpsters in the world (Jardim Gramacho outside of Rio de Janeiro) to create portraits of the “catadores”. The catadores are the individuals who work at the site separating recyclable materials from general waste. This 2011 Oscar nominated documentary entitled “Wasteland” shows Vik and his colleagues throughout the course of a year getting to know each of these characters and their lives as he develops an “image” for the project.
He decides to depict each of them in a series called “Pictures of Garbage” through iconic images of art history such as Jacques-Louis David’s 1793 “The Death of Marat” for Marat (Sebastiao), Pablo Picasso’s 1904 “Woman Ironing” for “Woman Ironing (Isis)” and Atlas, the Titan who held up the world for “Atlas (Carla0)”. This remaking of iconic images has of course been done before. Vik’s originality here lies, as in most of his work, in his choice of medium and context. He photographs these images then projects them from say 40 feet in the air down to the ground. He and the catadores then arrange hundreds of objects found in the landfill to recreate the image out of pure waste. This final sculptural piece is photographed and becomes the final image.
The work is thought provoking and inspiring as his process changes the way we think art is created and achieved. But truly the most impactful aspect of the documentary is the dignity and relentless spirit of the catadores Vik encounters and how this inspires his work and allows for a victorious finale that brings hope and change to the desolate circumstances of life in Jardim Gramacho and to the dreamers, like me, who dream of a better world.
from "Wasteland", view down onto Irma's portrait 2008
from "Pictures of Garbage" 2008
"Saturn Devouring His Son" 2005
Mona Lisa, Peanut Butter and Jelly
from "The Sugar Children Series", 1996
from "Pictures of Clouds"
from "Pictures of People", 2009
"Marylin" 2008
from "Pictures of Earthwork" 2005
Vik Muniz
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CINEMA: The Brothers Bloom
July 19th, 2010 § 1 Comment
Strolling through Blockbuster I picked up this film purely for being a great fan of Adrien Brody‘s acting. I had never heard the title but, when looking for a movie there are usually selfish motives behind this search – I want to laugh, I want to feel, I want to be challenged, I want to be entertained. This movie rather surprisingly did it all for me – but, this I would only find out later that night. What really sold me on the spot was -being the sucker for the theatricality of film making and photography that I am- that this promised to take me on a voyage around the world. The visuals alone seemed promising and the rest seemed to follow.
” The Brothers Bloom are the best con men in the world, swindling millionaires with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. Now they’ve decided to take on one last job – showing a beautiful and eccentric heiress the time of her life with a romantic adventure that takes them around the world. “
Yeah, yeah, yeah I know. Doesn’t sound all that intriguing given the upsurge of mediocre con-artist movies in the past decade… However, I will tell you this: the con here is not the subject but rather a Zen-like object to allow Rian Johnson (writer and director) to tell a great story poetically, with an intriguing abundance of wit, irony and depth. A multi-dimensional film.
“Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” What’s the difference? The tasks are the same. The need is the same. What about the frame of mind? Who is chopping? Who is carrying water? - Swami Sivananda on the Zen saying
VISUALS: The set design, location scouting, prop styling, costume selection, details in the film sequence
INTENTIONAL CROSS REFERENCES OF TIME/ERA: by combining contradictory costumes, props, and place the film establishes itself in a non-descript fictional time that alludes to the essence of film – the telling of a S-T-O-R-Y . The tall tale is fused with the psychological and emotional depths of the main characters so that the entire film reads like a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel – where history and myth become so interlaced with the richness of the setting that one can no longer tell which is what.
THEN THERE IS THE COMIC RELIEF often provided by the same mechanism as the drama – Bloom’s lifetime role as Steven’s antihero. This backed by Bang Bang – the silent side kick who has a talent for blowing things up + the eccentric “lonely, but beautiful” heiress, Penelope. Below watch the scene when Bloom meets Penelope.
