Following the Star Proposal

1. The Idea

AI Generated

Visitors walk beneath constellation sculptures suspended between the hull and the dock wall. LED colours, crystal materials, and sizes are all subject to prototyping.

We have designed an installation that brings to life SS Great Britain’s voyage through celestial navigation. The stars overhead shift as the journey unfolds, just as they did for the navigators at sea. Working primarily with the dry dock space, we have designed a trail of constellations that allow visitors to walk the voyage the ship actually made, following the changing sky from northern departure to southern arrival and back again.

We felt that the dry dock is the best-suited space on site for a light installation of this scale. It’s sheltered, the lighting is controllable, and the steel beams provide ready-made anchor points. That makes it the place where a fixed budget can create the biggest impact. The sculptures are also fully weather-rated and magnet-mounted, so we are open to placing constellations on the deck, in the dockyard, or in other interior spaces — see Beyond the Dry Dock below.

Each constellation is a web of fibre optic lines with a crystal at every star. Glowing side-glow fibre traces the constellation lines between stars, while invisible end-glow fibre runs from the beam down to each crystal — carrying light from a single Twinkle Engine above and holding the whole structure rigid. The crystals are sized and coloured to match the real stars — bigger crystals for brighter stars, blue-white crystals for hot stars like Rigel, warm orange for cool stars like Betelgeuse. The dock is naturally dim enough that the constellations glow both day and night; if needed, we can add blackout material to the glass ceiling to deepen the effect further.

The constellations will be paired with elegantly designed information plinths that allow visitors to discover more about the constellations and placement of the ship on the globe.

The constellations hang from the steel beams above, suspended on near-invisible fibre optic lines. There are no permanent fixings — everything attaches with magnets that leave no mark on the Listed structure. The whole installation plugs into a single mains socket and can be switched on and off by your staff with no specialist knowledge.

Sound

Each story plinth houses the constellation’s PSU, twinkle engine, and a small speaker and player — all connected via waterproof 12V plugs, no extra cabling needed. Each station auto-plays its own ambient track on power-up, with subtly different tracks at different constellations. We envisage gentle, relaxing ambient music — quiet enough to sit beneath the dock’s own atmosphere of wind, water, and the echo of footsteps on stone, and suited to sensory-sensitive visitors. Because the tracks are quiet and similar in character they blend rather than compete, creating a diffuse sound field that shifts as visitors walk between constellations — reinforcing the sense of moving through different spaces on the voyage.

Day and Night

The installation looks different depending on the light, and both modes work well. Crucially, the viewing geometry is on our side: visitors stand on the flatter ground beside the ship and look outwards toward the dock wall. The constellations hang just above head height on the far side of the story plinth, where the ground rises toward the wall — high enough to read as overhead stars, but not so high that open sky appears directly behind them. The dark stone dock wall provides a natural backdrop, giving the lit constellations strong contrast in any conditions.

AI Generated

Day — natural light through the glass sea. The constellations read clearly in full daylight.

AI Generated

Night — LED-lit fibre lines and star crystals glow against the darkened dock.

Rough impressions showing the same view in day and night conditions. LED colour, crystal material, and fibre gauge will be finalised during prototyping.

Reflections in the Water

Above the dry dock, the “glass sea” creates a unique opportunity. Rainwater pools on the glass panels and ripples in the wind, and the glowing constellations will reflect up into this shallow water — doubling the effect and creating the impression of stars submerged in the ocean, visible both from below and from the dockyard above. The ripples will make the reflected stars shimmer and shift, a natural animation that no lighting rig could replicate. Beneath the waterline, the glowing points carry a bioluminescent quality — as if the dock itself has come alive with deep-sea light.

Beyond the Dry Dock

The dry dock is the heart of the installation, but the constellation sculptures are inherently versatile — lightweight, magnet-mounted, weatherproof, and designed with IP-rated components. This means they can be located anywhere on site with a steel surface to anchor to, or where a 3mm cable can be added to create additional anchor points (using the same C-clip and eye glider system). We are open to exploring several possibilities with the Trust:

• The Deck — the sculptures are thin tensile cables and lightweight crystals, so wind loading is negligible and they are fully weather-rated. We would need to take a view on mounting options during the site survey, but constellations suspended within the rigging structure or below deck could be visible to visitors and striking from the harbourside.
• The Dockyard — we have not yet surveyed for suitable mounting points, but a small number of constellations placed around the dockyard would extend the starlit atmosphere across the whole site and give visitors a taste of what awaits below. We are open to exploring this during the site survey.
• The Crew Quarters / Below Deck — the large empty interior space is entirely metal-clad and sheltered, making it an ideal secondary location for magnet-mounted constellations. Being enclosed, it would offer a dramatic, immersive encounter.

These locations can be discussed during the prototyping phase. The core budget delivers the full dry dock installation; placing some constellations elsewhere is a curatorial choice rather than an additional cost.

2. What Visitors Experience

A Voyage in Stars

The SS Great Britain made 32 round trips from Liverpool to Melbourne between 1852 and 1876, each a near-circumnavigation of the globe — outward via the Cape of Good Hope, return via Cape Horn. Her navigators found their way by the stars, measuring them with a sextant to fix their position at sea. As the ship crossed from 53°N to 56°S, the sky overhead transformed completely.

We have computed the visibility of every constellation at every point along the actual voyage route. The results reveal a powerful narrative arc: familiar northern stars vanish, equatorial constants persist, and an entirely new sky appears. The installation follows this journey. The dry dock has a walkway around the ship, and we use it to tell the voyage in five acts:

• Farewell — Ursa Minor (Polaris) and Cassiopeia. The familiar sky you leave behind. Circumpolar over Liverpool, invisible by Melbourne.
• The Thread — Orion, Canis Major (Sirius), and Leo. The constants that connect both worlds — visible from every latitude the ship reached.
• The Transition — Scorpius. Barely scrapes the Liverpool horizon; becomes circumpolar at Cape Horn. The sky tilting as the equator falls behind.
• Argo Navis — Carina (the Keel), Vela (the Sails), Puppis (the Stern). Three fragments of an ancient Greek constellation representing the ship Argo. A celestial ship sailing above the real ship, invisible from England, appearing piece by piece as passengers crossed the equator.
• The New Sky — Crux (the Southern Cross), Eridanus (the River), and Centaurus (Alpha Centauri). What the passengers discovered — Crux finding south as Polaris found north.

The changing sky along the voyage route. Each horizontal strip shows one constellation’s visibility from Liverpool to Melbourne (outward, left) and back via Cape Horn (right). Bright = high in the sky. Dark = below the horizon.

Discovery and Interaction

AI Generated

Visitors encounter each constellation individually as they walk the dock, with an story plinth directly below.

Each constellation is a moment of discovery. Beneath every one, a small story plinth tells its stories — how the ship’s navigators used it, and the myths it carries from the cultures the SS Great Britain connected: Greek, Aboriginal Australian, Arabic, Polynesian.

Visitors can:

• Look up and see the stars above them, glowing in fibre and crystal
• Walk the voyage — from the northern farewell stars, past the equatorial constants, through the rising Scorpion, to the Southern Cross and the Argo Navis ship
• Learn why each star is a particular colour and brightness (it’s real astronomy)
• Discover that a celestial ship — the ancient Argo Navis — sails permanently above the real ship in the dock, invisible from England but revealed by the voyage south
• Take photos — the glowing constellations against the dark dock are a natural social media moment
• Connect the star stories to the global stories told in the refreshed museum

Constellation Selection

We propose to fill the entire dry dock with constellations for a single fixed price of £25,000 + VAT. The R&D, prototyping, rigging, and electrical setup are largely fixed costs regardless of how many constellations go in. We will use our artistic judgement to find the right balance of number, size, and spacing to make the dock look its absolute best — and work closely with Trust staff throughout.

We have scored all 88 constellations against the ship’s actual route — how dramatically their visibility changes between Liverpool and Melbourne, whether they contain navigation stars, how bright and recognisable they are, and how strongly they connect to maritime culture. From that analysis we selected 12 that create the strongest narrative arc:

Here are two examples from the catalogue:

Physics Model

Scorpius — 18 stars. A dramatic sweeping tail with Antares (orange) at the heart. Barely scrapes Liverpool’s horizon; dominates the southern sky.

Physics Model

Crux (the Southern Cross) — 4 stars. The iconic southern constellation, used to find the South Celestial Pole. Invisible from Liverpool; circumpolar over Melbourne.

3. How It’s Made

A full technical breakdown is in the enclosed Design & Engineering Report. Here is a summary.

Materials

Side-glow fibre
Glows along its length — traces constellation lines. ~3–4 kg break per strand

End-glow fibre
Carries light to crystal & holds structure rigid. ~12 kg break per strand

Crystals
Mark each star — sized and coloured to match. ~1 g each

UV optical resin
Norland NOA 68. Bonds PMMA to crystal. ~48 kg pull-out per fibre

Pot magnet
Rubber-coated, 25 kg pull. Attaches to steel beam — no drilling

TECNI® angled glider
Grips fibre, pivots to any angle. WLL 15 kg

TECNI® eye glider
Grips fibre with eye ring attachment. WLL 15 kg

Gripple® C-Clip
Self-locking cable clip for catenary line. SWL 15 kg

3mm stainless wire
Catenary line between beams. Breaking load ~756 kg

Mounting

• Strong magnets with rubber pads attach to the steel beams — no drilling, no adhesive, no marks left behind
• A longitudinal line runs through each constellation as a secondary fail-safe anchor — satisfying the rigging requirement for two independent connections at every point
• Everything is extremely lightweight (fibre optic and small crystals)

Electrical

• Each constellation has one 16W RGBW twinkle engine (CREE LED, 107×95×55mm) that feeds all its end-glow fibres simultaneously
• Built-in twinkle wheel makes stars scintillate realistically — controllable via Bluetooth app or RF remote
• Each engine is fed by a weatherproof 12V PSU housed inside the story plinth, tapped off a CEEform cable loop around the dock — no custom electronics, no exposed mains
• Total power draw for all 12 constellations including sound: ~296W — comfortably runs from a single 13A socket or the 16A CEEform outlet in the dock
• A timer or smart switch gives automatic on/off. Your staff just need to know where the switch is

16W RGBW twinkle engine — 20mm fibre port, CREE LED, built-in twinkle wheel and driver. One per constellation, 12 total.

Assembly

• Each constellation is built in our workshop as a complete unit, tested, then transported to site
• On site, we attach it to the beams, tension it into position, and plug it in
• Rigging the full dock takes approximately two weeks with a two-person team

CAD Model

CAD MODEL — assembly jig. Each constellation is laid out and assembled on a full-scale template before installation.

Information Plinths

• 12 freestanding MDF wedge-shaped lecterns on the dock floor beneath each constellation, painted matt black
• Printed vinyl on a Perspex top, internally backlit so the graphics glow through
• All electronics housed inside in IP65 Wiska-style enclosures — twinkle engine, PSU, speaker, and backlight, with waterproof connectors throughout
• Fibre bundle exits the top and runs up to the constellation above
• Low enough for children and wheelchair users to read comfortably
• Stable on the cobblestones using adjustable levelling feet — no fixings to the dock walls or floor

CAD Model + AI Generated

Story plinth. Matt black MDF lectern with backlit Perspex top. Houses twinkle engine, PSU, and speaker in IP65 enclosures inside. Actual geometry may vary per position depending on the sloping dock floor and available width.

4. Budget

The total is fixed at £25,000 + VAT, covering everything: design, prototyping, materials, fabrication, installation, interpretation, insurance, and travel.

Summary

The budget of £25,000 + VAT includes all materials, labour, installation, de-rig, and ambient sound, with ~8% headroom. Constellation selection, number, and exact mounting positions are still to be finalised — and some constellations may be placed outside the dry dock (crew quarters, dockyard, or deck). The headroom also covers additional blackout matting, walkway over cobbled areas, and any other changes arising during the project.

A full line-by-line breakdown of every material, component, and labour item is in the Design & Engineering Report.

Payment Terms

5. Previous Relevant Work

5.1 Seabourn Pursuit Atrium — Magical Sky

Photograph

PHOTOGRAPH — Magical Sky — Seabourn Pursuit atrium. © 2023 Seabourn Cruise Lines, Inc.

Reuben Forster worked on the Magical Sky installation for the Seabourn Pursuit cruise ship alongside Cory Burr, Stefan, Josh, and Ru over many months. It is a large aluminium hemisphere housing a precision-engineered infinity mirror solar system illusion that creates the convincing appearance of deep space.

That project gave us:

• Deep knowledge of how light behaves through different materials — directly applicable to fibre optic and crystal selection for this project
• Hands-on experience with every viable method for creating star effects — fibre optics, projectors, LEDs, mirrors, lenses, colour-shifting film, and more
• Experience designing for a maritime environment with full structural and safety requirements

5.2 White Storks Take Flight

Photograph

Photograph

PHOTOGRAPHS — White Storks Take Flight at Knepp — rigging with a tripod pruning ladder (left), and the finished flock on invisible line (right).

Paper Jungle’s White Storks Take Flight (installed at Knepp) used the same core suspension hardware we are proposing here — TECNI® grippers with 1.5mm clear line to suspend plywood mobiles from ceiling beams.

That project proved:

• The gripper and line system works reliably for suspended installations
• Tripod pruning ladders are safe and stable for overhead work on uneven floors
• Lightweight elements can be positioned precisely and remain stable with no maintenance

6. Timeline

Working backwards from the brief’s key dates:

7. During the Season & Taking It Down

During the season

• Switching on/off: A single switch or timer. No specialist knowledge needed.
• Power: ~296W total for all 12 constellations.
• Checks: A weekly visual look for any failed twinkle engines or loosened connections.
• Weather: All materials are weather-rated. The sheltered dock poses no risk.

De-rig and storage

• Clean removal: Magnets leave no marks. No trace left behind.
• Storage: The entire installation packs into 2–3 boxes.
• Longevity: LEDs last 50,000+ hours. Fibre optic lines are durable but may develop micro-fractures if repeatedly de-rigged and re-rigged, so we would recommend leaving the installation in place where possible.

8. Confirmations

Attachments

• Design & Engineering Report (PDF) — Full construction details, material specifications, detailed budget breakdown, rigging procedures, and engineering notes.
• Constellation Catalogue (PDF) — Diagrams, mythology, and data for all 88 constellations. 12 are proposed for installation; the Trust may browse and suggest alternatives.