Rankin Live

This exhibition, was a real visual treat for me!

I absolutely love Rankin's work.♥

Still kicking myself that I didn't speak to him when I saw him

sat in thegallery on his mac -

workin'... playin' tunes.

Kick. Kick. Kick.

I have a feeling this will be a very long post...

I wrote my 2nd year essay on David Bailey and Rankin after watching BBC4 doc 'Seven Photographs That Changed Fashion.'  Ever since, I've always looked to Rankin for inspiration. This interactive exhibition has been well documented and I had to go and see it!  The live project features Rankin's bid to shoot, print and exhibit one thousand members of the public, as well as putting on display a vast portfolio of work.  It has been deemed his most ambitious project yet, done in record time.  The sole aim is to create a contemporary portrait of Britain, with a depth that democratises the perceived glamour of the photographic studio in a bid to make it accessible to all.  This highlights the process that makes models and celebrities 'picture perfect.'

"Everyone at art college tries to piss on your parade.

And you do the same back to them.

It's a really tough environment."

The opening quote to the retrospective part of the exhibition, that begins with Archive and ME ME ME.  It documents Rankin exploring and finding his ability and technique whilst constantly being told at college that it must be conceptual.  He just photographed without reason and the outcomes are unique.  Some are funny, some shocking - all are instinctive.  A lot of this early work saw him turning the camera on himself and just discovering what could be said by his experimentation.  And if something works... don't try to replicate it.  The wow factor with all the images was the quality of the prints.  They themselves, were amazing!  Huge, glossy and the detail picked up by the camera, I've seen nothing like it.

What I love about Rankin's images, is that they are raw and informative.  They do not require a title, blurb/info, or a date - for they are timeless, powerful pieces.  They speak profoundly for themselves and state a captured moment, a "Frozen Magic."  This was explained further in the Erotic section but evident throughout the gallery, his belief that a photograph is "a relationship compressed into a moment."  With a theory practiced by Bailey, and other notable fashion photographers, to achieve a great picture you must "let yourself fall slightly in love."  If you are flirtatious you bring out the subjects 'fleeting desire' to be captured.  

"I think that people give you an image -

they give you part of themselves."

Heavily featured was his extensive and iconic catalogue of portraits.From Queen Elizabeth and Vivienne Westwood to Thom Yorke; the Olsen twins, each image divulges aspects of the individuals personality leaving it open to interpretation.  It is clear they were at ease, elements of fun coming through in each expression and every genuine image.

"I'm seduced by it,

but I believe that ultimately

it makes you feel unhappy with yourself. 

So I've always tried to be humorous with it,

and critical of it."

Rankin on 'Fashion'

Some of my personal highlights from the 19 sections...  These tend to be the ones that were the most conceptual, that made me wish I could come up with an idea as interesting to shoot.

• One Dress - Raising the question 'Do clothes make the wearer or does the wearer make the dress?'  The models were challenged to express the garment, every one offering a unique perspective.

Claudia Schiffer - One Dress

• Snog - Playing with the social perception of something you would usually avert your eyes from when in public.  Dare to look.
• SofaSoSexy - In this section there was a sofa to sit on and view the images on the wall.  The concept was for the viewer to realise that what they are sat on is the very sofa that the provocative images are taken on.  An element of discomfort is supposed to be created when you realise this... not sure it worked on me!  Interesting all the same.
• Breeding was an interesting section as it was confined to a dark UV lit room.  It examined how the tiniest detail can determine whether someone looks like a boy or a girl, or if someone is attractive.  It also stands to highlight how a lot of models are very similar and are herded like cattle into the industry.  All portraits were taken in a similar way to emphasise similarities and differences in characteristics and how models can be flaunted as a modifiable commodity.
• Beauty, liberating and timeless.  Fashion is fleeting and 'faddy' but beauty is a constant.  It displayed Rankin's fascination for the face and explained how clothes can be a "complicated and destructive factor."

I was really wowed by this exhibition, and it was interesting to learn about Rankin's conceptual and artistic work as opposed to the commercial aspect, which I am more familiar with.  I'd highly recommend checking it out if you are into photography!