Beauty in the breakdown: Winnipeg filmmaker finds art in decomposition

Decomposing roadkill, mouldering fruitand rotting vegetables.

Where others see "ick," Joel Penner sees art.

The 28-year-oldtime-lapse filmmaker captures the circle of life, all on specially tricked-out scanners inside the basement of his home in Winnipeg's West End.

He's been making his time-lapse films since about 2012, after inspiration struck in his parent's backyard garden.

"I thought, 'Wouldn't it be cool to watch these flowers as they decay?'"said Penner, the latest artistfeatured in CBC's Manitoba Creates series on local artists.

Manitoba Creates: Joel Penner sees beauty in rotting food and roadkill

6 years ago

Duration 2:57

Time-lapse filmmaker Joel Penner captures decomposing fruit, vegetables and roadkill to find beauty where others see "ick." Video by Tyler Funk and Carmen Ponto.

He has about 20 working scanners, set on timers to capture the decomposition in stages. Heuses specially made Plexiglasboxes and plastic sheets, among other setups to encourage decay and contain the mess. He ultimately pieces the images together for his films.

"I think the universe is fascinating and beautiful. I think art helps you get at that visceral sense of beauty and sense of wonder."

National Geographic has featured footage of his work in their docuseriesOne Strange Rock, which is now streaming on Netflix.

His current project is called Wrought, a 15-minute-long film expected to be released this summer that he'sproducing with his collaborator, Anna Sigrithur.

In it, Penner captures the stages of decomposition ofanimals like badgers, muskrats, pigeons and otherroadkill victims. Departed pet snakes, geckos and other lizardswhose carcasses have been donated to a local reptile society are also being photographed as flesh-eating beetles feast.

Penner is also snapping scans of rotting raspberries, papayaand other fruit, as well as fermenting foods like beer and kombucha.

This year, he will turn to bees at the University of Manitoba fora film called Hivemind, for which he received a $25,000 Canada Council research grant.

While his time-lapse films of growth and decay don't have an explicit environmental message, Penner hopes people make a larger connection.

"With my films I want to show the beauty of nature in a way that will make people want to care about protecting it and cherishing it."

See more from the Manitoba Creates series: