Bran Symondson
The Art to Disarm –
Nature Wins.
Bran Symondson is a British contemporary sculptor and
photographer.
The inspiration behind Bran’s work came from his time
spent in Afghanistan as a special forces soldier for the
British Army in 2008.
After Bran’s time on the ground, he was then asked to go
back for The Sunday Times as a photographer, to
document the conflict and the National Afghan Police.
Seeing soldiers decorate their weapons gave Bran the
idea to create sculpture art by ‘Disarming the Weapon’.
Bran mainly works with the following mediums;
AK-47s, Grenades, Butterflies, Currency and
Photography. His last complete project was a
collaboration with world-renowned photographer Terry
O'Neill titled ‘Hollywood Reloaded’ which was exhibited in
the heart of London, Mayfair at Annabel's.
AK-47: Sourced from conflict zones, they are removed from
circulation and deactivated. Each art piece has a serial
number along with a deactivation certificate. Most AKs are
made from empty components.
Currency: On some art pieces, Bran meticulously cuts and
covers the entire AK or grenade in real American dollar bills.
The use of currency depicts the reality of how much money
is spent and made through war.
Butterflies: Farmed by specialists in a certified
lepidopterarium, Bran only works with ethically sourced
species, some of the butterflies date back to 1940.
If good care is taken and they are not placed in direct
sunlight, the butterflies organically preserve for a lifetime.
The butterflies covering the dangerous weapon is Bran’s
interpretation and the utopian vision of mother nature taking
over man-made tools and taking control over human errors.
Each AK-47 magazine is cut revealing glass bullets which
contain symbolic fillings customised to the narrative of that
piece.
Nature Wins.
Bran Symondson is a British contemporary sculptor and
photographer.
The inspiration behind Bran’s work came from his time
spent in Afghanistan as a special forces soldier for the
British Army in 2008.
After Bran’s time on the ground, he was then asked to go
back for The Sunday Times as a photographer, to
document the conflict and the National Afghan Police.
Seeing soldiers decorate their weapons gave Bran the
idea to create sculpture art by ‘Disarming the Weapon’.
Bran mainly works with the following mediums;
AK-47s, Grenades, Butterflies, Currency and
Photography. His last complete project was a
collaboration with world-renowned photographer Terry
O'Neill titled ‘Hollywood Reloaded’ which was exhibited in
the heart of London, Mayfair at Annabel's.
AK-47: Sourced from conflict zones, they are removed from
circulation and deactivated. Each art piece has a serial
number along with a deactivation certificate. Most AKs are
made from empty components.
Currency: On some art pieces, Bran meticulously cuts and
covers the entire AK or grenade in real American dollar bills.
The use of currency depicts the reality of how much money
is spent and made through war.
Butterflies: Farmed by specialists in a certified
lepidopterarium, Bran only works with ethically sourced
species, some of the butterflies date back to 1940.
If good care is taken and they are not placed in direct
sunlight, the butterflies organically preserve for a lifetime.
The butterflies covering the dangerous weapon is Bran’s
interpretation and the utopian vision of mother nature taking
over man-made tools and taking control over human errors.
Each AK-47 magazine is cut revealing glass bullets which
contain symbolic fillings customised to the narrative of that
piece.
