Waste Land

(http://lightbox.time.com/2011/03/22/portraits-with-purpose-vik-muniz-in-waste-land/#1)

 One of Vik Muniz's greatest accomplishments is his "Pictures of Garbage series" and his documentary of the process, "Wasteland," which was directed by Lucy Walker.

The documentary was filmed in the largest landfill in the world in Jardim Gramacho in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro over a three year period. It follows the daily lives of the catadores, a term that refers to the pickers of recyclable materials, as they work day and night in the landfill as a means to survive.

In the documentary, Muniz photographs the pickers to recreate some famous works of other artists, then recreates that image on a much larger scale entirely of garbage.

The lives of the pickers involved in the project changed forever upon the completion of the project. They experienced art for the first time, and had a chance to actually be a subject of an artwork. And for Muniz, a deeper understanding for the garbage pickers community was gained.

Waste Land has won many awards and has been nominated numerous times.

(http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/arts/design/24muniz.html)