Continuing our obsession with hoarders, we recently watched Agnes Varda's documentary film "The Gleaners and I." Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers' fields after the harvest. The film examines this long-standing rural tradition and the transformation of gleaning to urban environments. Shown here is "The Gleaners" by Jean-Francois Millet (left) - which Agnes Varda discusses in the film - and a modern interpretation of the painting made before 2001 (right). More info on "The Gleaners and I" below the jump...
Hoarders, Gleaners & Dumpster Divers: Sustainable Practices for Modern Life?
In the documentary, Agnes Varda interviews rural people who feed themselves from the leftovers of big agriculture, which dump food like potatoes by the roadside. She also features urban gleaners who dumpster dive and stake out supermarkets, restaurants, and wealthy neighborhoods. These people both feed themselves and pick up household items and furniture for resale in the city. Many turn into hoarders of discarded goods,and remind us of Song Dong's hoarder mother (the contents of her house are currently on view at The Museum of Modern Art). We were fascinated by the film's examination of the rural gleaning tradition and its mutation to urban life. Have you seen "The Gleaners and I"?
More information on gleaners and hoarders:
• Gleaning from Wikipedia
• "The Gleaners and I" film entry at IMDb
• watch Agnes Varda discussing the film on YouTube
• Hoarder Horror Stories = Motivation to Clean
• "Waste Not" by Song Dong at The Museum of Modern Art
(Images: montages via CityFood)
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The Gleaners and I is one of my all time favorite movies. Agnes Varda is one of the most poetic and thoughtful filmmakers.
view laure's profile
my best dumpster diving find: Plycraft Lounger (Eames replica) that I promptly sold on Craigslist for $200.00!!
view dmh's profile
I agree with Laure: the Gleaners and I is one of my all time favorites, and if I remember correctly, Varda returns to her subjects to get an update on them, and that segment of the DVD adds so much more to the whole movie. It's a must see.
view MollydeA's profile
Well I "glean" is that a word? Guess where in the Hamptons!!! of all places. After the farmers gather the spud crop by machine, many smaller spuds fall on the side of the road. I run with bags and pick them up. Talk about fresh. The best spuds I have ever tasted!!!
view parrishnut's profile