Bran Symondson · Sculpture & Editions

Disarmed.
Transformed.

A former soldier who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, Bran takes the world’s most iconic weapon and turns it into an object of beauty and intrigue — butterflies, currency and hand-blown glass bullets where the violence used to be.

Exhibited · House of Fine Art, MayfairThruDark · “Everest – The Ascent”Porsche 911 × EverratiCollected worldwide

Featured work · Macro lens

Electric Blue Morpho

Bran’s macro photography of the Morpho wing, framed with a real butterfly. Because every butterfly is different, no two of these works can ever be the same.

Year
2025
Medium
Printed with real butterfly mounted on paper, framed
Dimensions
50.8 × 76.2 cm (20 × 30 in)
Edition
1 of 1

Signature works

Originals

All works →

The artist

“The metamorphosis of butterflies brings about a remarkable transformation, turning a once destructive tool into Mother Nature’s playground.”

On tour with special forces in Afghanistan, Bran watched Afghan soldiers and police decorate their AK-47s with flowers and stickers. It gave him the idea that defines his work: to treat the weapon as a blank canvas and disarm it — turning a symbol of fear and loathing into an object of beauty and intrigue.

His background in 1990s documentary photography still shapes every piece: not just what the eye sees, but the story behind it. His work has been shown at House of Fine Art in Mayfair and is held in collections worldwide.

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The signature

The glass bullet

Each bullet is hand-blown in England and filled with something that carries meaning — a miniature time capsule set into the work.

01

Sourced

Weapons from conflict zones, decommissioned and legally deactivated.

02

Disarmed

Butterflies, world currency, gold and military maps transform the surface.

03

Encapsulated

Hand-blown glass bullets hold sand, stones, soil or keepsakes.

04

Presented

Wall-mounted, freestanding, or on a marble or museum plinth.

A row of hand-blown glass bullets filled with coloured gemstones, between two brass AK-47 rounds

Macro lens & still life

Special Editions

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For collectors

The Collector’s Guide

Every series and edition in one guide — plus first access to new releases before they go public.