Rankin + Hunger TV

Rankin is one of our favourite photographers over here at OSP Towers, and he has just started a new project that is a sort of online version of a magazine called Hunger TV. We wrote about the great man that is Rankin before, if you missed that go here and we also wrote about another of his projects, a tv documentary on Life Magazine here

About Hunger

“The Hunger is a biannual magazine from photographer and publisher, Rankin. Launched in November 2011 - 20 years after Dazed & Confused was founded, and 10 years after the birth of AnOther – The Hunger provides a new platform for uncompromised self-expression, innovation and discovery. Working with both experienced and emerging talents in the arts, fashion and editorial, The Hunger seeks out cultural progression and distinction. Each issue of the magazine features both a male and female cover.

The hungertv.com website launched simultaneously with the magazine, with a unique focus on video content – fashion films, behind the scenes footage and exclusive performances, collaborations, and interviews.”

This is issue 2 and here is what is contained within:

“For the second issue of The Hunger, on sale on the 10th May 2012, our cover stars are the prolific Italian actress Monica Bellucci and the young Irish actor on a trajectory to international stardom, Robert Sheehan. For our limited edition hardback, model and photographer Helena Christensen, with an exclusive silver poster of Helena included inside. Helena also contributed a shoot to the magazine.

This issue, we spoke to the finest talents in British culture. Thriving Brits: a look at the work of fashion designers Katie Eary, Henry Holland, Craig Lawrence, Louise Gray and James Long. Visualising Music, where The Hunger met with 
art directors Storm Thorgerson and Mark Farrow among others, to discuss how they created some of the most iconic sleeve artwork of our time. And Art in the East End: we journeyed around east London stopping off to chat to Polly Morgan, Tim Noble and Sue Webster, Mat Collishaw and Gilbert & George and found out about the impact the area has had on their art, and that they have had on the area. From the world of music, we spoke to The Black Keys, Theo Parrish and The Gossip to name a few.

From film, Juliette Binoche, Werner Herzog, Mark Strong, Malcolm McDowell, Annabelle Wallis, Tilda Swinton and Toby Kebbell. In fashion, we spent time with Heidi Klum, Pam Hogg, Jean-Claude Jitrois, and a host of designers, who told us why couture’s influence will never decline. We also worked with renowned makeup artists, Ayami Nishimura, Caroline Saulnier and Andrew Gallimore, the latter who showed us the future of mens beauty in Out of Darkness. Filmed interviews and fashion films are available to watch exclusively at hungertv.com.”

LIFE GOES ON: DAMIAN BIRD

Photojournalist Damian Bird tells us how his online photo-essay magazine, Life Force, has literally given him his life back…MORE

In-between Days : Joseph Szabo

 

“Priscilla, wandering across Jones Beach, hoiking up her jeans, her cigarette dangling from her lips. Like The Pixies Surfer Rosa or Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork  Orange, the image has served as a cult reference for generations of youthful impudents. Chosen by the band Dinosaur Jr for the cover of their breakthrough 1991 album, Green Mind, the photograph taken by Joseph Szabo hasn’t aged a bit in the 43 years since it was taken. At the time it was shot Joseph was a young, liberal teacher trying to find ways to connect with and inspire his students.”....more of this article

 

Rankin, he is the man

America in Pictures: The Story of Life Magazine by Rankin on the BBC

I missed this on TV last night but thanks to the BBC iplayer it is available to watch whenever you want. Rankin celebrates the work of Life magazine’s legendary photographers, who shot the big moments in American history – from the assassination of Robert F Kennedy to the Vietnam War. Rankin is just one of the coolest photographers working today but what makes this man important is that he actually is interested in photography and in this documentary he reveals the story of the illustrated magazines that populated the newsagents shelves and stands in the 40′s, 50′s and 60′s. If you don’t know what I mean have a look at this earlier post here

If you want to watch this programme at your leisure here is the link to the BBC page with the iplayer

Rankin – todays Great Photographer and a thoroughly decent bloke

To many people, those not interested in photography, there has only ever been one photographer of note, certainly in the UK anyway, it would be interesting to know if there were similar examples in other countries, but I digress. Everyone who owns a dslr or before that a film slr would have, at some time, had said to them, who do you think you are, David Bailey?

Bailey was and is a fine photographer, he defined the look of the the 60′s a halcyon time for some. It was his pictures that made the time swing, he was influential and popularised photography made it aspirational. It does seem a shame that he is the only photographer known even today, some might hazard a guess at that royal bloke (Lichfield [Lord]) or the one that photographed Diana (Mario Testino) but do we have someone to define our times and who should be known?

I would suggest that in the UK we have a perfect opportunity to supplant Bailey in the general populations’ mind as the photographer with the excellent Rankin.

You probably know his pictures even if you don’t know his name, his work is fashion, advertising, portraits, beauty and special projects. I think he has everything Bailey had, he is supremely talented, a technician and artist. Have a look at his beautiful website

In 2010 he traveled to South Africa, you may have seen a documentary about his trip, through encounters with legendary conflict photographers the Bang Bang Club, documentary photographer David Goldblatt and photojournalist Alf Kumalo amongst others, Rankin went on a compelling and moving photographic journey to see the nation through their gaze.

There is a portfolio of Rankin’s pictures from the South Africa trip on the Independent Newspaper website here and here is an interview where he talks about the trip to The Guardian

He also went to DRC (Congo) for Oxfam

There is an Oxfam book of Rankin’s portraits from Congo which you can buy here

Rankin kicked off 2009 by inviting people across the UK to participate in his most ambitious project to date – Rankin Live! A show of two halves, Rankin Live brought the museum-scale retrospective of the last 22 years in Rankin’s photographic life together with the portraits of 1,500 of today’s British public. This was a huge undertaking that involved Rankin photographing the ordinary people of Britain. Known for his celebrity portraits he brought his skill and vision plus his humanity to a new project. You can see many of these portraits on his website here is a link

Rankin from the models’ viewpoint

James Anthony by Rankin. Photograph: Rankin

This is what James Anthony says about the experience…”

It’s a cold, wet February morning and I’m schlepping down Brick Lane in east London to have my photo taken by Rankin, one of the world’s most famous portrait and fashion photographers. The studio is a vast exhibition room in the Old Truman Brewery, a fascinating and spooky place whose former owners are mentioned in David Copperfield.

I’m here for Rankin Live!, a staggeringly ambitious project to photograph 1,000 people from around the UK. Rankin will shoot, instantly project, print and hang a portrait of each subject, with the finished photographs being exhibited in the gallery. They will also be made available to buy for £50, with profits going to Oxfam……more

So are you impressed yet by this extraordinary photographer? I think it must be time to go and have another look through his portfolios this will take you there