Paraguay – A documentary called ‘Landfill Harmonic’ directed by Emmy-nominated film-maker Graham Townsley is approaching release. The film revolves around an orchestra of Paraguayan youths playing instruments crafted from waste materials.
‘We filmed some of the children who learned to play violin, flute, drums, cello, string bass and more – all made from recycled metal drums, tin cans and plastic pipes,’ Mr Townsley explains. He hopes that the feature will ‘showcase the power of creativity, hope, empowerment and community work’.
Production began last year in the South American town of Cateura, which is said to be ‘essentially built on top of a landfill’. Eager to teach music to kids from the outskirts, Favio Hernán Chávez Morán became the leader of what he now labels his ‘recycled orchestra’. Together with his musical charges, he travelled across the nation to add more players – with the number rising from just 15 to more than 50.
As a result, finding enough instruments with which to practice and perform became a problem. ‘Then it occurred to me that we might just as easily build them ourselves – using various objects from the trash,’ recalls Mr Hernán Chávez Morán. Hand-crafted by a local recycler, the first instrument – an aluminium can violin – initially met with scepticism but has since proved its worth alongside more conventional counterparts.
The range of instruments now extends to: saxophones made from spoons and buttons; basses constructed from a bulky reservoir that formerly contained chemical products; and flutes made from water tubes and locks.
Mr Townsley notes: ‘Our film shows how trash and recycled materials can be transformed into beautiful-sounding musical instruments; but more importantly, it brings witness to the transformation of human beings.’
For more information, visit: www.landfillharmonicmovie.com
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