Art and Social Change

    Art can work in very powerful ways. It can evoke emotional responses to things we may not have thought about often. Creating art can change the way someone thinks and redirect parts of their life. Vik Muniz, modern artist, takes us on an adventure to Jardim Gramacho, a large landfill outside of Rio De Janeiro. Here he introduces us to a few of the workers in the landfill and their stories.

    Tiao, the catadores leader, had been working in the landfill since he was 11 years old. A prolific reader, Tiao would find books scattered across the fill, indulging himself with new information. He reveals that he read The Prince by Machiavelli, which gave him a lot of ideas about leadership and the state of the world and it's governments.

    The work the group made was sold for a total of $300,000. After this, Tiao was able to continue working on his dream of creating an association to assist the people who work in the landfill. Today his association works with the Brazilian government to send workers to recycling plants opening up around the city.

    What impacted me the most about this documentary is the mere amount vast amount of waste we have accumulated. We waste so much. The sheer amount of waste we discard to be taken care of by someone else is disgusting. As Walter mentioned, so many people will not recycle one thing, but that one thing over a long period of time adds up to an insurmountable amount of waste.

    Not only is it harmful to our planet, but the people who are left responsible with handling our garbage are at a great risk. Thousands of people waft through toxic waste and sharp objects, they are at risk of being crushed by the giant trucks and bulldozers, every day. Not only is it physically taxing, but it also takes a toll socially and emotionally. Not many of the workers are proud to admit that they work in a landfill. Often, they were average class people who experienced hardships and were forced to make ends meet in any way they could. Others that were born there still have dreams of a bigger future.