Exhibitionists

Roger D. Wilson: Ottawa's cinephile scientist

What's a film scientist? Roger Wilson has the answer. He's cinephile creating public art with old film reels, some tools, and of all things, a bike.

He's creating public art with old film reels, some tools, and of all things, a bike

Ottawa's cinephile scientist: an experiment with film reels, tools & a bike

9 years ago
Duration 3:45
What's a film scientist? Roger Wilson has the answer. A cinephile creating public art with old film reels, some tools, and of all things, a bike.

Roger D. Wilson calls himself a "film scientist."

"The reason I call myself that is that I really don't make films [that are] traditionally narrative driven," he explained in the above segment from Exhibitionists. "They are experimenal."

While the Ottawa-based Wilson was taught in school that film is a "delicate" source, he decided to work against that idea instead. He bleaches the film, tones it, decays it, soaks it in alcohol... 

It's certainly a peculiar process, and one best explained by Wilson himself in this clip from filmmaker Marco Libretti.

Watch Exhibitionists Sunday at 4:30pm (5pm NT) on CBC Television.