Steven Wilson supports Chelsea
Steven Wilson is one of seven artists commissioned by Studio Makgill and Nike as part of the Chelsea megastore store re-design at Stamford Bridge stadium.
The redesign celebrates Nike becoming the new brand behind the Chelsea strip from July 2017. Nike asked Studio Makgill to help with the look of the megastore’s interior. Studio Makgill decided to commission seven artists from four countries to create works within the space. Each artist would work on pieces relating to a legendary Chelsea player, both artist and player coming from the same country.
Steven got to represent Frank Lampard, one of the club’s most prolific goal-scorers (211 goals in 648 games), playing midfield in the number 8 shirt. Steven worked on a bust and two pillars, which you can see here. We asked Steven to talk a little about his thinking on the pieces:
“I took inspiration from the iconic Chelsea symbols, such as the rose and the blue/white chequers. I wanted to use those traditional forms as I felt it was right to celebrate the history and heritage of Chelsea FC whilst at the same time I wanted to interpret them in a contemporary way, so I could put my own stamp on them, but also as a nod to the club’s bright future.
For the bust I wanted Frank’s British heritage represented in the design as he is one of the best midfielders the UK has ever produced. And as Chelsea’s highest ever goal-scorer I felt it was important to represent those statistics in the artwork. I created the design so everything comes off his name and number in the central part of the design as a nod to his midfield position on the pitch.”
