Blown away by Wasteland and the power of art

The film was beautiful. I was moved by the power of art that the documentary illustrated. I echo Chassidy’s comment about the way that this film changed my perception of art. I’ve always viewed art to be inaccessible or like a refined taste that one has to acquire. However art can change the way we look at the world and ourselves. We also change the way that art is done by the experiences that we come from.

I loved Tiaõ’s statement at the end of the movie about catadores. “We are not garbage pickers. We are pickers of recyclable material. Garabage cannot be reused, but recyclable materials can be reused.” This statement held so much confidence and dignity. The familiar materials that they were used to working with everyday became a work of art. Their work carried so much dignity, which was a recurring theme in the film.

The community in Jardim Gramach received more than money. Many of the portrait subjects and contributing artists expressed that they personally received dignity. They were given an opportunity to see their own beauty and to celebrate it.

It also made me realize how much art and images inspires my life and really keeps me alive. Many times I have remembered an image I saw, maybe in a move, maybe even because of a song and have held onto that image. It sparks and a vigor inside of me to live. I was reminded of this after the scene when Isis talks about when her child died. She said she remembers the image of an ant or a bug crawling on her child’s body and she holds onto that image. I’m sure all of those catadores, even if they had never received an actual copy of their portrait, would have held onto that image of themselves that they saw in the studio and in the art gallery. It was amazing to see something special happening in their eyes when they saw themselves as art. They are beautiful.