A human face made from 2,000 handmade stars, suspended in the Swan foyer, by artist and designer Steven Follen.
For All Time was commissioned and created in 2016 for the Swan Theatre foyer. The piece is also nicknamed 'Starman', after David Bowie who died the year it was created.
Brighton-based artist and designer Steven Follen was inspired by Romeo and Juliet, Act 3, Scene 2, when Juliet speaks of her star-cross’d lover Romeo, “When I shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of heaven so fine…”.
The title, For all time, is a quote from Ben Jonson’s eulogy to Shakespeare: “He was not of an age, but for all time!”
The piece is made of 2,000 hand-made and hand folded stainless steel stars suspended from the ceiling by fine wires to make the shape of a three metres tall human face. The face is surrounded by further metal stars, reflecting the position of the constellations on Shakespeare’s birthday.
Further inspiration for the artwork came from architectural features found in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the Swan Wing; a combination of Victorian Gothic, 1930s Art Deco and 21st century industrial design in which metal is used prominently.
