Kye Alexander Phillips

November 1ST, 2015

FRINQ
Captivating Responsibility of Waste
Art can depict feeling and emotion, convey tragedy, and materialize the magnitude of an
event. An artist may decide to capture any of these, and perhaps derive the inspiration from the
people that may have experienced them. such as the artist Vik Muniz. In his documentary entitled
Wasteland. Then it would be uncontainable for the artist to not experience the same. In this
respect, it is the responsibility of the artist to have once felt and endured first hand, the
expression of their work of art. All judgement must be set aside if one decides to represent
another. Vik Muniz art in the documentary Wasteland not only thoughtfully created a work of art
to captivate the daily lives of the most impoverished people in Brazil whos daily living consist
of working in the worlds largest landfill but above and beyond that he helped guide them in
understanding their value, all while shining light on a misunderstood and misrepresented group
of people.
The effects of art can be emotional in regards to what one perceives the meaning of that
art to be. Sometimes an artist will create a work of art for themselves, or they may create it for
others. The product can be impactful regardless of the motivating factor for the creation of the
art, but when the viewer is able to connect to it. When creating art, the genuine nature of it can be
honored when the artist creates out of a personal connection to their subject.
It is uncontainable for someone to represent an object if they have not experienced it for
themselves. When one is able to connect to something, how they talk about it or exemplify it is
much more powerful and carries a greater impact. The emotional tie brings conviction and a
perseverance that opposes negative judgements of it. When a senator is elected in the U.S. for

example, it is important that they have lived in the state in which they are wanting to represent.
The citizens of the state will also elect them based upon knowledge of the needs of the people. It
is crucial that they are not mispresented.
Vik exposes in the documentary his past life and struggles growing up in the very low
middle class in Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. He talked about his difficulties, reflecting on a
journal that he used to record stains growing on his walls in his room. It was this that led Vik to
be able to connect with the catadores and even serve as inspiration to them.
When Vik was wanting to create his art, he knew that he would have to get to know the
people he was wanting to represent. He did this by immersing himself for the duration of a year
with the people. During his year, Vik met the families of the people he worked with. He got to
know their families, as well as their life stories. He experienced this version of therapy which
caused him to connect with them on a deeper level, and thus creating for him that depth in his
art. Vik learned to communicate with them in order for them to realize their self-worth. By
working with the catadores by picking up trash, he opened the door for them to connect with
each other. This allowed him to let go of previous judgments and see the people for who they
truly are.
The inspiration behind creating art can evolve and even change. Our idea of what we
believe we want to create can be altered when we free ourselves to be affected by our subject
instead of fixating on one aspect of it. Vik made the point that there is nothing wrong with
them. The catadores were looked down upon and ostracized by society. It was these reasons
that originally drew Vik to want to create art highlighting their struggles. After truly seeing who
these people were, Viks motivation and inspiration for creating his art shifted.

Through his journey of becoming apart of the catadores, Vik discovered that the stories of
the individuals were going to make an impact not only on the world, but on their culture and
their society. The existing negative views on these groups of people perhaps in Viks eyes, did
not take into account the persevering spirit, or the tragedy, or even the joy that the catadores
experienced throughout their day. It was these reasons that Vik drew new inspiration from his
art.
Art can serve a multitude of purposes. Yes, people can draw their own conclusions from a
work of art, but it is the artists reasoning behind it that can inspire someone. Viks body of work
that was highlighted in this documentary served to not only help the world get a glimpse of the
catadores and glamorize them, but serve as inspiration and motivation to them as a people. He
wanted his art to reflect to how valuable the people are, and that they have the ability to achieve
their dreams. Vik wanted them to share in their new understanding of themselves that they are
capable of sympathizing with themselves and others they are working with, in order to become
more united.
Viks work of art became solely about the catadores. Because art is a representation, it is
the responsibility of the artist to capture its essence in its most raw form. For Vik, the power of is
art came from his subjects, and his ability to become a catador. Vik wanted to create a body of
work that captivated their struggle using garbage as the medium. His work has impacted the
world because he sacrificed his judgements and disregarded the negative views of society, all
while accepting other views as motivation for his art. His work seemingly expressed a non-bias
attempt to portray who the catadores are by not altering their image, but by capturing their spirit.
By practicing this approach, an artist can allow the audience to derive their own conclusions. In
turn, Viks art not only respected his subjects, but it honored them.