Vik Muniz Quotes

The moment when one thing turns into another is the most beautiful moment. A combination of sounds turns into music. And that applies to everything. ~ Vik Muniz

The really magical things are the ones that happen right in front of you. A lot of the time you keep looking for beauty, but it is already there. And if you look with a bit more intention, you see it. ~ Vik Muniz

Creativity is how we cope with creation. While creation sometimes seems a bit un-graspable, or even pointless, creativity is always meaningful. ~ Vik Muniz

Who wouldn't like to give up normal life? I mean, normal life, you know, is the second worst thing to death itself. I think normality is something that makes everything very static, and I try to make my days, my daily routines, as uneven and rich as possible. ~ Vik Muniz

My grandmother taught me how to read, very early, but she taught me to read just the way she taught herself how to read - she read words rather than syllables. And as a result of that, when I entered school, it took me a long time to learn how to write. ~ Vik Muniz

My first reaction to finding Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty in a book was, Wow, what a great photograph! I could not believe that someone had gone to so much trouble just to end up with a picture. ~ Vik Muniz

Art objects are inanimate sad bits of matter hanging in the dark when no one is looking. The artist only does half the work; the viewer has to come up with the rest, and it is by empowering the viewer that the miracle of art gains its force. ~ Vik Muniz

When someone tells you it's a grain of sand, there's a moment where your reality falls apart and you have to reconstruct it. You have to step back and ask what the image is and what it means. ~ Vik Muniz

It's not about fooling somebody, it's actually giving somebody a measure of their own belief: how much you want to be fooled. That's why we pay to go to magic shows and things like that. ~ Vik Muniz

If you find an idea without form, please let me know because I would love to take a picture of it. ~ Vik Muniz

Think of brilliant trickster Vik Muniz as the offspring of Man Ray and Jacques Henri Lartigue, combining the former's relentless experimentation, the latter's effortless wit, and their mutual inventiveness in work that defies category. ~ Vince Aletti

Illusions as bad as mine make people aware of the fallacies of visual information and the pleasure to be derived from such fallacies. ~ Vik Muniz

I was born in Brazil and grew up in the '70s under a climate of political distress, and I was forced to learn to communicate in a very specific way - in a sort of a semiotic black market. You couldn't really say what you wanted to say; you had to invent ways of doing it. You didn't trust information very much. ~ Vik Muniz

My first job in Brazil was actually to develop a way to improve the readability of billboards, and based on speed, angle of approach and actually blocks of text. It was very - actually, it was a very good study, and got me a job in an ad agency. And they also decided that I had to - to give me a very ugly Plexiglas trophy for it. ~ Vik Muniz

I took the longest showers of my life after every time I visited Gramacho. It affects the personality of the catadores. They always dress really well, they're very sharp, and when they go out they always wear a lot of perfume because they're very conscious of the possibility of having the smell. ~ Vik Muniz

I'm a product of a military dictatorship. Under a dictatorship, you cannot trust information or dispense it freely because of censorship. So Brazilians become very flexible in the use of metaphors. They learn to communicate with double meanings. ~ Vik Muniz

The first time I worked with colors was by making these mosaics of Pantone swatches. They end up being very large pictures, and I photographed with a very large camera - an 8x10 camera. So you can see the surface of every single swatch - like in this picture of Chuck Close. And you have to walk very far to be able to see it. ~ Vik Muniz

The first five minutes in Gramacho is really overwhelming because all of your senses are being attacked. Visually, too, because your eyes move and see fragments of things you recognize, but not quite, so it's very artistic. Your eyes are moving, then there's the smell, and the noise is unbearable. ~ Vik Muniz

Gramacho is the last landfill that allows people in. Brazil is the leading nation in recycling due to its poverty. There are people there surviving from what they find in the garbage. ~ Vik Muniz

A lot of the time you keep looking for beauty, but it is already there. And if you look with a little bit more intention, you see it. ~ Vik Muniz

The great challenge is how to make smart, intelligent art that can speak to everybody. ~ Vik Muniz

I'm at this point in my career where I'm trying to step away from the realm of fine arts, because I think it's a very exclusive, very restrictive place to be. What I want to be able to do is to change the lives of people with the same materials they deal with every day. ~ Vik Muniz

I hate to say I'm a photographer, because I learned photography as I went along. But I also hate to say I'm a painter, a draftsman, even an artist. I think it's good when you're confused about what you are; it means you haven't defined yourself as an artist yet. ~ Vik Muniz

He was almost at his door when Vik's earsplitting shriek resounded down the corridor. Tom was glad for the excuse to sprint back toward him. "Vik?"
He reached Vik's doorway as Vik was backing out of it. "Tom," he breathed, "it's an abomination."
Confused, Tom stepped past him into the bunk. Then he gawked, too.
Instead of a standard trainee bunk of two small beds with drawers underneath them and totally bare walls, Vik's bunk was virtually covered with images of their friend Wyatt Enslow. There were posters all over the wall with Wyatt's solemn, oval face on them. She wore her customary scowl, her dark eyes tracking their every move through the bunk. There was a giant marble statue of a sad-looking Vik with a boot on top of its head. The Vik statue clutched two very, very tiny hands together in a gesture of supplication, its eyes trained upward on the unseen stomper, an inscription at its base, WHY, OH WHY, DID I CROSS WYATT ENSLOW?
Tom began to laugh.
"She didn't do it to the bunk," Vik insisted. "She must've done something to our processors."
That much was obvious. If Wyatt was good at anything, it was pulling off tricks with the neural processors, which could pretty much be manipulated to show them anything. This was some sort of illusion she was making them see, and Tom heartily approved.
He stepped closer to the walls to admire some of the photos pinned there, freeze-frames of some of Vik's more embarrassing moments at the Spire: that t ~ S.J. Kincaid

Not just in America. When I left my primary school, my father said, 'Son, you are now a man,' then he gave me a scented candle and told me how babies are made." Vik fought to keep his lips from twitching. ~ S.J. Kincaid

You can't die, Vik. You're a mechbot. (Syn)
They can pull me apart and reprogram me. Trust me, that's death. Now shush before they find us. Remember – hide, people, hide. (Vik) ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

There was a scene cut out of 'Big Fat Liar' (2002) where I had to wear a dress. This may sound kind of weird, but I really enjoyed shooting that scene. ~ Frankie Muniz

Devyn opened the channel to let Sway and Vik know what was coming. "Batten down. It's going to be a rough landing." Sway buzzed him back. "Dev, are you trying to say we're about to crash?" "Yeah, we're crashing." Sway had one last surly comeback to that. "Asshole." Shaking ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

Nas looked at Vik from across the room, and when he felt her eyes on him and lifted his head, she lowered her glance. It wasn't the first time in the past two weeks that I saw them do this. It also didn't escape Lev's notice that Viktor had stopped coming around. They hadn't spoke in that time.
Something had happened between them, and Nas was not opening up, probably because it was still too painful to talk about.
All I knew was that Nas was miserable and Vik had developed the temper of a T-Rex with itchy balls.
Relationships were collapsing around us, but Lev and I were going stronger than ever. ~ Belle Aurora

Does he call? No. Does he email or even text me? No. He just ran off and left me here to rust and die." He turned back to Syn. "You really suck as a friend."
"I do suck as a friend. I'm sorry."
"Mmm-hmm. You think you can sweet-talk me? Who you been two-timing me with anyway? Some low-tech battery-operated device? I hope it shocked you every time you touched it."
Syn laughed. "There's no one else, Vik. You're the only mecha I could ever stand."

-Vik & Syn ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

I'm enchanted by your beauty, my lady. Welcome aboard. You make a most welcome addition to our acerbic company ... a lovely-smelling one, too. (Vik) ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

Happiest day of my life when my dad made him human. (Devyn)
Happy for you, bonebag ... It cost me my girlfriend. (Vik)
It was a lamp, Vik, not a girlfriend. (Devyn)
I really loved that lamp. She lit up my entire world. (Vik) ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

I may or may not have almost body slammed one of my bandmates for snoring. ~ Frankie Muniz

Dammit, Vik. How can you not know what's wrong with this thing? Can't you commune with it or something? (Devyn)
My name is not 'Dammit, Vik' and I find it ironic that you think I can commune with all metal beings when you can barely communicate your point of view to your own parents. And they birthed you. I did not give birth to this ship. Last time I checked, I was male and that would be impossible on a multitude of levels. (Vik) ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

I know I am no better than anyone else in this world. ~ Frankie Muniz

[Vik] Okay, I'll drop the subject. But if you ever do that to me again, I'll stab you in the penis, which I'm sure will hurt."

[Syn] "Yeah, it would."

[Vik] "Good. Now I'm powering down for a bit to conserve my power. ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

Acting classes, I guess, are good and I would like to maybe sometime take one. But I would feel like I was learning someone else's technique. I like mine. ~ Frankie Muniz

Gulab jamun, am I right?" Puffy Fay asked with his mouth full. "The inspiration for this cupcake?"
Vik nodded. "A friend once told me she loved to take her favorite desserts and make them into something else." He glanced at me briefly.
Gulab jamun. I'd had it plenty of times in India. Creamy fried dumplings soaked in a sugar syrup, flavored with cardamom and-
"Rosewater," said Puffy Fay, "can be a tricky ingredient. But-" he smacked his lips- "you've done an excellent job. And you somehow managed to mimic the flavor of that very sweet dessert without making your cupcake too sweet. Fascinating."
"I coated rose petals in sugar and salt," said Vik. "Sugar for laughter, and salt for tears. ~ Rajani LaRocca

(Playing with Jeffster at Comic-Con) was absolutely the scariest thing I have ever done. I literally skipped over the 'what a great moment' to 'oh, my God, I can't believe I have to do this.' And when I was up there, the people were, like, "Oh, my God," and they were all screaming and stuff. But I didn't hear a thing. I was just in my own little bubble of horror and panic, utterly, utterly blanched with terror. ~ Vik Sahay

C'mon, Devyn, move already. You're like watching ice freeze. You keep this pace up and my grandkids will be able to finish the game for you. (Young Adron)
Shut the fuck up, Adron, I'm thinking. (Young Devyn)
Yeah, I can see the smoke coming out of your ears. What? You strip a gear or something trying to think? Want me to call Vik over to take your turn for you? (Young Adron) ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

See, Sway, that's what you get for flunking your pilot's test six times ... which I'm pretty sure is a record of some sort. If not for the actual flunking, definitely for the persistence in pursuing that which you obviously have no talent for. Personally, I wouldn't let you fly a remote-control kid's plane. (Vik)
Shut up before I find a can opener. (Sway) ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

But don't you find the concept of love unusual? (Alix)
Not at all. Love I understand completely. It's hatred that puzzles me. I don't comprehend finding pleasure in cruelty. (Vik) ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

Are you guys seriously messing around with real weapons?" she exclaimed. "It's like you want Darwin Awards!"

Tom flushed, and set his gun back on its hook. "It's not like we were going to start a dynastic war or something."

"Yeah," Vik said guiltily, returning his own weapon. ~ S.J. Kincaid

We walked among the different plants and by using The Book, we did our best to identify them and understand how to use them. Some were easy- spearmint, "for refreshment, strength, and healing," and rosemary, "for remembrance, and the prevention of nightmares." We also found a swathe of sage, which could be used "to cultivate wisdom and intelligence." When I came across a bunch of plants with dark green leaves and tiny white flowers, it took us quite a while to identify it by its drawing in The Book: gotu kola, an herb that could "restore the senses and clear confusion."
"Oh, look at this one," I said. "Saffron, for success. I should probably bake with that."
"If only it grew here," said Vik.
Finally, on the bank of a small stream, we found gigantic thyme stems, almost two feet tall and topped with plump clusters of purple flowers. "What's thyme good for?" I asked Vik as I plucked a dozen stems and inhaled their herbaceous scent.
"Thyme attracts affection, loyalty, and the goodwill of others," read Vik, "and can foster strength and courage when needed. ~ Rajani LaRocca

I'm just an actor, that's nothing special. ~ Frankie Muniz

Your head could fit in the muzzle of this thing," Vik said, awestruck. "Seriously. Come on and let's see."

"I'm not sticking my head in a cannon thing. Stick your own head in."

"I have highly temperamental hair. It'll get nestlike. You don't care when your hair gets nestlike, Tom. You can't possibly. ~ S.J. Kincaid

I don't wanna die, man. They're not playing. Have you seen how many of them are out there? One just took a shot at me, so unlike you morons, I'm hiding. Hiding is nice. (Vik) ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

People always follow the actions of those in charge. ~ Dr. David Vik

There's a dead guy on our floor," Tom pointed out.

"Yeah, that's Beamer, our neighbor." Vik stepped over Tom's bed, and kicked open a drawer beneath the mattress. He swept down and yanked out a bundle of fabric. "Here's your uniform."

"There's a dead Beamer on our floor," Tom said again. ~ S.J. Kincaid

I never want to be winking at the audience and saying, "This character is really a nice guy." ~ Vik Sahay

I love the long-form rehearsal process with theater, brick by brick, to build another life. ~ Vik Sahay

Hey, boss? (Vik)
Not now, Vik. (Syn)
Dude, listen to the metallic life form. (Vik) ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

Vik? You ready? (Devyn)
Your stupidity is what I live for, Captain. (Vik) ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

Sway's an idiot who didn't order them when we used up the last bunch. (Vik)
Isn't that your job? (Devyn)
No. I'm the sub-idiot. Sway's head idiot because the company refuses to deal with mechas. Since I'm not organic, they think I can't pay. (Vik)
Thanks, Vik. (Devyn)
Ever my pleasure to irritate you, sir. (Vik) ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

Kasen lifted one of the bottles and read the label. "This stuff can kill you." "Yeah, but obviously not quick enough." He went to take another swig. Nykyrian jerked it out of his hand. "Hey!" He pulled it away from his grasping hand. "Don't even make that noise at me." Syn curled his lip. "You and Vik. You're both traitors. You might as well move in with Shahara, too." Vik had gone to live with her and refused to come back until Syn "got over himself". Little wormy betraying mecha bastard. Kasen shook her head. "I think this is the first time I've ever seen you drink from a bottle." Nykyrian snorted. "Lucky you. I've seen him tap a keg and funnel it."
- Kasen, Syn, & Nykyrian ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

He'd say, "Don't be scared, Vik. It's good when it's all really black. You can see your dreams better. ~ Sonali Deraniyagala

These smell incredible." Cole sniffed a cookie. "What kind are they?"
"Cinnamon-honey with a twist," I said. "Vik and I added honeysuckle we found in the woods."
"Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, with sweet musk-roses and with eglantine," said Henry, taking a couple. ~ Rajani LaRocca

I am keeping with tradition today. After I learned of my Golden Globe nomination, I went to the dentist, so today, let's make it the orthodontist. ~ Frankie Muniz

One word at a time, makes a novel at the finish line."
- Vik Tory Arch ~ Vik Tory Arch