Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings had two faces, one looking to the future and one to the past, and was also the god of doors and entranceways, which look out and look in. January is named after him, so it is fitting that 'Mood Swings', an exhibition of gates made from scrap iron and steel by Bob Dylan at the Halcyon Gallery, starts in December and ends in January.
 
Of the exhibition, where pieces are for sale from £35,000, Bob Dylan said:
 

I've been around iron all my life ever since I was a kid. I was born and raised in iron ore country - where you could breathe it and smell it every day. And I've always worked with it in one form or another.
 
Gates appeal to me because of the negative space they allow. They can be closed but at the same time they allow the seasons and breezes to enter and flow. They can shut you out or shut you in. And in some ways there is no difference.

His studio has a familiar reclamation look, with wood racks containing old tools, and parts of tractors, ploughs, bikes, cars and trucks - all the shelves marked in felt pen with descriptions such as 'Auto'.
 
Chris Topp of the Real Wrought Iron Co was impressed by Dylan's sense of fun. "I was expecting to be disappointed, thinking Dylan would be well out of his depth, but it's good. What a wonderful thought that this man, who some people think of as a god, is actually interested in scrap yards, just like the rest of us." Studying the pieces closely, Mr Topp noted that "the welds are visible. That's not to be encouraged but he's got away with it. I would like to teach him forge work because then he could start creating objects instead of just using found ones."
 
The show is on until 24 January in New Bond Street, London
 
[Because my dreams are made from iron and steel - from 'Never Say Goodbye' Planet Waves made in 1974 when Dylan first started dabbling with welding and ironwork