An unusual art piece symbolising the beauty and destruction of war has proven difficult to bring into New Zealand.
'Beat of a Wing' consists of a decommissioned AK-47 assault rifle covered with dead butterflies from around the world. The magazine contains glitter-filled bullets, and a single blue butterfly is mounted to the end of the barrel.
Artist Bran Symondson, a former British soldier, was inspired by his experiences in the War in Afghanistan.
"That's when I came up with the idea to use the AK-47," he says. "We were surrounded by them, and a lot of the Afghans used to decorate them with roses and stickers."
Mr Symondson collects rifles from conflict zones and decorates each one differently. He's sold his pieces all around the world, but 'Beat of a Wing' is the first to make it to New Zealand.
Former hotelier and renowned art collector Chris Parkin spotted the piece in a London gallery in 2015.
"It was just one of those love at first sight things," he says. "It was such a beautiful piece, I felt I had to have it."
Bringing the piece to New Zealand turned out to be easier said than done.
"You just cannot bring firearms of any sort - decommissioned or otherwise - into New Zealand without going through the proper hoops," says Mr Parkin.
That meant getting a gun licence, as well as an endorsement to collect assault rifles. Mr Parkin finally got the piece into the country this year, only to find it had been damaged en route.
"Somewhere along the line, the packaging case had fallen onto its side and the gun had come off its mounts and smashed a lot of the butterflies," he says. "Heartbreaking, really."
The only solution was to fly the artist to New Zealand to painstakingly replace the damaged butterflies – adding to an already costly, lengthy process, but one Mr Parkins feels is entirely worthwhile.
"I have the same feelings towards the piece as when I first saw it, I think it's marvellous."
Mr Symondson will take a few days to repair it the piece, but it could still be some time before it can be displayed at the QT Museum Hotel.
Mr Parkin needs to prove to authorities that the rifle can't be removed from its display and turned into a weapon again.
Newshub.
