A studio series by Brian Rankin examining the relationship between body, material, and light through SOAR technical garments.

Removed from movement, the apparel is treated as physical structure rather than equipment. Prototypes, test prints, and design remnants are assembled into sculptural configurations around the athletes, allowing fabric to reshape, interrupt, or partially obscure the body. Function recedes in favour of form.

Rankin’s use of light and shade is central to how the images read. Controlled highlights and sharp fall-off carve out volume and edge, while blur is treated as shape rather than speed. The studio becomes a site of reduction, shifting attention to surface, contour, and the tension between body and garment.

The resulting images sit closer to object study and contemporary studio portraiture than sports or fashion photography, examining performance apparel as visual material removed from utility.

Photography: Brian Rankin

Assistant: Bradley Polkinghorne

Hair: Daniel Moura

Make Up: Eoin Whelan

Stylist: Freya Monro Morrison

Models: Naomi & Wawa