University of California, Riverside has issued the following press release:
Filmed over nearly three years, “Waste Land” follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world’s largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of catadores — or garbage pickers.
Muniz, known for using unconventional materials to create portraits of marginalized people, set out to “paint” the catadores with the garbage they spent their days sorting through. But upon meeting the amazing characters who work at the landfill, he decides to turn the project into a collaboration with the catadores themselves. He photographs the pickers individually at the landfill itself, and then projects the images he’s captured onto the floor of a massive warehouse nearby. Then he works with the catadores to gather recyclable items from the dump and use these discarded things to recreate the images on the floor. In the end, vibrant, complex, and essentially human portraits emerge, revealing both dignity and despair as the catadores begin to re-imagine their lives.
A Q&A will follow the screening.
NOTE: All in-person events are subject to change based on COVID-19 protocols set forth by UC Riverside campus leadership. Audience members must wear a mask at all times around other people. Audience members must also fill out an online Wellness Survey prior to coming to the venue.
Wednesday, April 20 at 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
UCR Palm Desert 75080 Frank Sinatra Drive
For more information, visit https://events.ucr.edu/event/art_doc_waste_land?utm_campaign=widget&utm_medium=widget&utm_source=UC+Riverside#.YksnbW7MITU.
