By:
Peter, Lianne and Abigail
Introduction
The
film “Waste Land” is about this man name Vik Muniz. Vik Muniz used to live in
Brazil as child and growing up. He was always very passionate about art. Vik
Muniz had this idea where he wanted to give back to the people of Brazil. He
decided he wanted to make art out of garbage. For three years, he worked on the
project. He decided that every penny he raised, he would give it to the people
of Brazil. We
also have the second film “Born into Brothels”. Zana Briski, a documentary photographer, went to Calcutta to
photograph prostitutes. Along the way she became friends with the women’s
children and taught them photography. At the end, we have a reflection towards
both films.
Waste Land
One
day Vik Muniz was in the streets of Brazil, he saw a fight and tried to break
it up. He got hit so badly, he needed medical attention. Luckily for him, the
guy that hit him was rich and gave him money. So he took that money and bought
a plane ticket to America. Now he is a famous artist. In his hometown, he met
six people who are pickers, Isis, Suellen, Tiao, Zumbi, Irma and Magna. He
interview each one of them a little by asking them to introduce themselves.
Isis had a rough path, her son died at three years old and daughter got taken
away from her. Suellen at the time was very young; she was about sixteen years
old when they met. She started working at the landfill at seven years old. She
used to feed herself there in order to survive. Suellen has two young children
(and one on the way) that she loves but who stay with her mom. Tiao is a very
determined man. He is the president of the ACAMJG (the Association of Recycling
Pickers and Jardim Gramacho). He has leadership and he is very bright. He has
been a picker since he was eleven years old. Zumbi is very passionate about
books. Every book he finds on the landfill he keeps it to share with the
community. Irma is a strong woman. She loves to cook. Every day, morning and
night, rain or shine, she will stand outside and cook for the people who are
working in the landfill. And you have Magna, a calm and sweet woman, but who is
insecure about her job. Vik Muniz took those six people and created “garbage
art” with their picture. Some of the pictures were inspired from other famous
pictures. The filming of the documentary happened in the landfills and inside
the studio. It also happened that the filming followed some of the people
around to their homes. And of course there was also the filming of the
exhibition. The most striking picture
was Tiao’s picture was inspired from Jacques Louis David’s Death of Marat. At
the end of their production, Vik Muniz took Tiao and brought him to London to
sell his picture. They made 50,000$ US from the picture. With the money they
each received, they all changed their lives for the better. http://www.wastelandmovie.com/gallery.html
The Weekly Topic
The
weekly topic was about the power of art. How art works as a bridge between
others and us. We also learned how art is good for our self-esteem and invites
us to think differently. Art lets you be yourself and lets you create what you
want, any emotion that you feel. Like the in film “Waste Land” it creates
friendship. For Vik and those six people, they created a bond. For three years
they worked on the same project and along the way, they found themselves. It
changed Vik Muniz’s life because he got in touch with his roots again. Vik
Muniz gave them that push, that self-esteem to do what they want in life. Some
of them realized that the landfill was not for them anymore. So they took the
money they earned and did something productive. Some of them became an artist.
Born into Brothels
Synopsis
- Includes Spoilers
Born into Brothels (2005) portrays the journey of Zana Briski, a New York photographer who ventures into the Red Light district of Calcutta for her professional endeavours. The film was directed by Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski. The film is 83 minutes long and has won several awards including the Academy Award for Best Documentary and many additional nominations. Zana’s presence is greeted with a great deal of reluctance by the general populace as most people are uncomfortable being photographed in an area associated primary to sex workers. It is in the Red Light district that Zana encounters several unique children native to the area with whom she develops an empathetic relationship which flourishes into the Kids with Cameras non-profit organization. The eight children in the group include Puja, Kochi, Shanti, Tapasi, Suchitra, Manik, Gour, and the naturally talented Avijit who becomes the representative of India for a convention focusing on the young photography talent around the world. The film is taken from third person fly-on-the-wall perspective following the Zana and the children as they explore the area and photograph the people are their surroundings. The images they produce are blurry and erratic at first however they develop a great talent for photography and produce some extremely beautiful photographs which can be viewed at the organization’s website.
Born into Brothels (2005) portrays the journey of Zana Briski, a New York photographer who ventures into the Red Light district of Calcutta for her professional endeavours. The film was directed by Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski. The film is 83 minutes long and has won several awards including the Academy Award for Best Documentary and many additional nominations. Zana’s presence is greeted with a great deal of reluctance by the general populace as most people are uncomfortable being photographed in an area associated primary to sex workers. It is in the Red Light district that Zana encounters several unique children native to the area with whom she develops an empathetic relationship which flourishes into the Kids with Cameras non-profit organization. The eight children in the group include Puja, Kochi, Shanti, Tapasi, Suchitra, Manik, Gour, and the naturally talented Avijit who becomes the representative of India for a convention focusing on the young photography talent around the world. The film is taken from third person fly-on-the-wall perspective following the Zana and the children as they explore the area and photograph the people are their surroundings. The images they produce are blurry and erratic at first however they develop a great talent for photography and produce some extremely beautiful photographs which can be viewed at the organization’s website.
The group is met with many struggles
pertaining to their lives as part of the red-district youth which often pulls
them back in despite their aspirations towards higher education. Although all
children are granted a proper education as a result of their work as
photographers some of them are unable to escape the red-light districts
unrelenting grasp. The opportunity for education was granted though a sale of
their work at a gallery in New York which generated enough profit to put all of
them through school however complications forced a few of them out of this
opportunity. The most devastating was the death of Avijit's mother which can be
incredibly traumatizing for a child and caused him to almost give up on his
dream to become a photographer. Fortunately by the end of the film Avijit was
able to overcome this tragedy and continue his education at the Future Hope
School in Calcutta. The others were granted the opportunity to get an education
at the Sabera boarding school institute however many of them were forced back
into the red-light district.
This
project demonstrates how a single person's dedication can change the lives of
others and despite the fact that several of the children involved were forced
to return to their lives in the red-light district, it gained global
recognition and resulted in several spinoff projects in Cairo, Haiti, and
Jerusalem. This is also due to the fact that art is a universal language that
can be interpreted by anyone, anywhere. In this film it also acts as a creative
outlet which allows the children to escape an unsavoury world and experience
freedom of expression in an otherwise strict and depressing society. It also
helped boost the confidence of the kids granting them better self-esteem which
is hard to come by in the red-light district of Calcutta. The whole experience
regardless of the results likely changed the children in the film for the
better thanks to the intervention of a motivated individual and an art form
that can be both expressive and therapeutic.
For updates on the organization and those involved address the link below: http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/home/
For those interested the film can viewed at the following link;
Please bear with the quality, it is a free version of the film which I cannot guarantee is completely legal.
The following links are for the various other Kids with Camera's organizations that began as a result of the success of the first group.
http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/aboutthekids/?project=cairo
www.kids-with-cameras.org/aboutthekids/?project=haiti
http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/aboutthekids/?project=jerusalem
www.kids-with-cameras.org/aboutthekids/?project=haiti
http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/aboutthekids/?project=jerusalem
Reflection
Both films taught us a lot about
ourselves and about the way other people live in different parts of the world.
They are both eye-opening films that allow us to explore different communities
in different countries and make us realize how lucky and fortunate we really
are. These films made us realize the terrible things that people have to do
just to survive yet they are still happy with what they have and that was
really beautiful to see. In Waste Land
it was hard to understand how these people can still be happy living the way
they do, but it really makes you realize that you should be grateful for what
you have and never take anything for granted.
These two films were very similar in the
way that both Vik Muniz and Zana Briski allowed people who were very
underprivileged to express themselves through art and photography. However there
was some controversy surrounding both films because these two artist allowed
these people to enter a world that was so out of their reach and then send them
back to where they were at the beginning. Even though all the money earned by
the art and the photographs went back to them, it was controversial to start
projects like these. Especially with the children in Born into Brothels, because they are not at the age to make
decisions for themselves and their parents were often against the idea of
sending them to school because they needed them to work. This article better
explains the controversy with the children of the red light district.
These films allow us to see the
power that art and self-expression can have on a person. In Waste Land the art that the pickers were
creating allowed them to see themselves in a new light and allowed them to gain
more confidence in themselves. The pickers were able to see themselves as
artists and as creators and as something more than just a simple picker. It
proved to them that they could accomplish anything if they wanted to. Vik Muniz
provided these people with an amazing opportunity and with that he was able to
show the viewers of the film that anybody is capable of anything. Zana Briski
also allowed the children that she was teaching to feel this same empowerment
and self-accomplishment through the photographs that they were taking. In Born into Brothels just like in Waste Land, the artist were able to show
the viewers great art can come from anybody and maybe change the their vision
about the people living in these areas.
These films show us how to see
others and ourselves in a new light and this is a message that is very
important in our society today. Waste
Land allows us to see the transformative power of art and the beauty of the
human spirit as well as the power of a collective group effort and this message
is very important in today’s ever-changing individualistic society. Art can
also have a great impact in our own life, by either creating art or simply
looking at it. It can spark creativity and inspire you to become a better and
more creative person. Art is eye opening and can provide you with a new outlook
on life. Born into Brothels shows us
how art and creativity can empower children to become creators and open their
mind to a whole new world of possibilities. The message of these films can be
related to our society by showing the viewers how art and collective group
efforts can change one’s life.
Conclusion
Waste Land and Born into Brothels are both eye opening and inspirational films
that really allow the viewers to have a new outlook on them and on the rest of
the world. They show us the truly immense power of art and the greatly positive
effects it can have on a person’s life.