Can destruction be beautiful? Rankin’s new limited book “An Exploding World” has the answer. What began as a way to stay creative during the lockdown has turned into his latest coffee table book and a reminder of the significance of creativity for personal well-being.
Photographers of all calibers have been profoundly affected by the pandemic, no matter if someone had a large London studio or a film camera they bought in February 2020. Being creative through a time of destruction is a real challenge that not everyone accepts. It was an unwanted, rather forced challenge, which Rankin took on.
For this project, he photographed burning dandelions, a flower he was long fascinated by. They are symbols of courage, hope, growth, healing. The perfection of the seed-head can be an obsession, like in Rankins’s case. During times of great stress, he saw comfort in them. So, why set them ablaze? Rankin answers:
When fire burns through the forest, the old growth burns away to allow space for the new forest to emerge. Through burning these dandelions, I was clearing space mentally. Finding a new outlet for my creativity.
Rankin’s images show the beauty of nature in an untraditional way. This duality is portrayed through the physical characteristics of the book. As such, the bronze-hued texture is a nod to the childhood fascination with dandelions, while the smooth Tatami paper is used to show the licks of flames and the perfection of a dandelion. Combined, they bring out the anatomical and metaphorical beauty in hyper detail.
"An Exploding World" is available for purchase from Rankin's store.
