A contemporary abstract sculpture featuring multiple interlocking loops of stainless steel with four of Brize Norton’s key aircraft circles a metal globe, set outdoors among autumn trees, a wire fence, and an overcast sky.

Black and white photo of a model airplane with four propellers, mounted near a Gate Guardian sculpture of multiple interlocking loops of stainless steel. The blurred background and industrial details add to the striking indoor scene.

RAF Brize Norton

Oxfordshire, England

RAF Brize Norton, the RAF’s largest aircraft base, commissioned a custom sculpture to celebrate its 80^th anniversary. Unveiled in October 2017, the dynamic globe-like sculpture draws from the rich history of RAF Brize Norton and now offers a unique and striking welcome to one of Britain’s best-loved military airfields.

Design details

Two men stand in front of a large, illuminated outdoor metal contemporary sculpture resembling a globe. One wears a black suit with a blue bow tie, the other is in a decorated blue military uniform and cap. Trees and a road are visible at dusk near RAF Brize Norton.

The creative brief was to design and make a unique sculpture depicting RAF Brize Norton’s global importance as a strategic aircraft base.

Called Gate Guardian, the sculpture is a sphere forged from multiple interlocking loops of stainless steel to represent the latitude and longitude lines of the Earth. Silhouettes of four of Brize Norton’s key aircraft types fly out from the globe: an Airbus Voyager, an A400M Atlas, Boeing C-17 Globemaster and a Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130J.

A large Gate Guardian metal globe sculpture with multiple interlocking loops of stainless steel and four model airplanes attached to its frame stands in a workshop. Industrial tools and machinery appear in the black-and-white background.

A contemporary abstract sculpture featuring multiple interlocking loops of stainless steel showcases aircraft models flying around a metal globe, illuminated at dusk. Autumn trees and a few people stand in the background beneath the cloudy, glowing sky.

LED lighting inside the sculpture illuminates the globe at night. Its glow bounces between the reflective stainless-steel hoops, creating a warm glow on the underbellies of the aircraft.