Repurposing AK47s for peace, CRYPTO KALASH stories with Bran Symondson

The Artistic Expression of War to Improve the Environment and Re-establish Masculine Identity with Bran Symondson. Jamil speaks with Bran on this episode of the podcast to learn more.

AK47s for peace, CRYPTO KALASH stories with Bran Symondson

Bran Symondson is a British photographer, artist, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and art collector.

He is considered to be one of the most acclaimed reportage photographers of the 21st Century. Bran started his career in the 1990s workings alongside renowned photographers such as Gavin Bond, David La Chapelle, and Nadav Kander.

In 2004, Bran started the selection process to join the British Army Special Forces Reserves. After completing pre-deployment training in 2007, Bran was deployed to Afghanistan, Helmand Province.

During the tour in Afghanistan, Bran continued to capture images on his camera of the civilians he met along the way, collating images of the land and people – he vowed to himself he will create some inspiring art if he ever made it back to London. He documented his life-changing experiences under gunfire with a simple Canon G9 camera, these significant images culminated in his first show “The Best View of Heaven is from Hell”.

The photographs Bran took of young Afghanistan boys holding decorated AK47s with butterfly stickers and flowers gave Bran the idea to embellish the assault rifle with money and butterflies.

It was during his last tour of duty training the Afghan National Police (ANP), which now patrols this province, that Symondson became fascinated with the force’s distinctive ethos. So he returned as a civilian photographer “embedded” with them to document something far more unique than the endless fields of opium.

The Sunday Times decided to commission Bran to go back to Afghanistan and re-shoot the images as a civilian photographer. After being awarded the 2011 Amnesty International Media Award for his photograph “Lost Boys”, Symondson decided to develop the concept of his photographs further and he began to work on the sell-out show “AKA Peace”.

Bran Symondson’s 2012 exhibition “AKA Peace” is considered to be a pivotal point in his artistic career. After his tour in Afghanistan, he established the concept of taking de-commissioned AK47 guns and masterfully embellishing them with dollar bills, iconography & butterflies. He gave decommissioned AK47’s to artists such as Damien Hirst, Gavin Turk, Sam Taylor-Wood, Sarah Lucas, Gary Hume, Antony Gormley, and the Chapman brothers and asked them to reinterpret their own AK-47 assault rifles which were all exhibited in “AKA Peace”. This critically acclaimed show raised more than £430,000 in one night.

Symondson’s unique artworks of contemporary AK47 derive from a simple premise: taking something of fear and loathing and turning it into something of beauty and intrigue. Each AK47 has a narrative which is told through the meticulous craftsmanship of adorning the weapon with various objects which then is enhanced with the placement of bespoke handmade bullets containing different commodities which relate to the narrative of each work.

His pieces have been bought and collected internationally from the highly acclaimed artist Jake Chapman through to Elton John and the Prince of Bahrain.

Bran is also known for his philanthropic work not only in heightening the awareness of worldwide issues through his photographs but also in raising money for different charities through the donation of his AK47s at charity art auctions. To date, he has raised more than £580,000 through his contributions.

Bran’s last show was an amazing collaboration with the world-renowned photographer Terry O’Neill CBE. The body of works entitled “Hollywood Re-Loaded” was unveiled in September 2019. Bran came up with the concept of shooting photographs of famous actors and actresses with the same weapon portrayed in the film they starred in. Bran took the modeled weapon which was featured in the same photograph taken by O’Neill and then shot 11 iconic images creating bullet holes in the images.

Fast Forward to post-pandemic 2021 and the growing art world NFT trend, Bran is about to launch his debut digital artwork CRYPTO KALASH. Covid-19 has changed in the way we live and humans are now catching up with technology. Using a deactivated AK-47 captured from conflict in Afghanistan CRYPTO KALASH reflects analogue currency merging into a digital formation. The piece will launch this autumn.

For further information please contact: bran@bransymondson.com

More about Jamil

Jamil Hasan is a crypto and blockchain focused podcast host at the Irish Tech News and spearheads our weekend content “The Crypto Corner” where he interviews founders, entrepreneurs and global thought leaders.

Prior to his endeavors into the crypto-verse in July 2017, Jamil built an impressive career as a data, operations, financial, technology and business analyst and manager in Corporate America, including twelve years at American International Group and its related companies.

Since entering the crypto universe, Jamil has been an advisor, entrepreneur, investor and author. His books “Blockchain Ethics: A Bridge to Abundance” (2018) and “Re-Generation X” (2020) not only discuss the benefits of blockchain technology, but also capture Jamil’s experience on how he has transitioned from being a loyal yet downsized former corporate employee to a self sovereign individual.

With over ninety podcasts under his belt since he joined our team in February 2021, and with four years of experience both managing his own crypto portfolio and providing crypto guidance and counsel to select clients, Jamil continues to seek opportunities to help others navigate this still nascent industry.

Jamil’s primary focus outside of podcast hosting is helping former corporate employees gain the necessary skills and vision to build their own crypto portfolios and create wealth for the long-term.

See more podcasts here.