In July, the Lionesses made history. With the nation’s eyes on the prize, celebrations poured out onto the streets of host cities of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022. Commissioned as part of the UEFA arts and heritage programme, the public art installation The Supercompensation Cycle accompanied the tour to create a buzz for local communities and visiting sports fans before the matches. Eleven steel, powder-coated structures were designed to mirror the shape of a football and represent each team member. The steel framework was clad in an aluminium composite panel that discreetly housed cabling. An LED holographic rotor was fixed in the centre of the structure and spun to depict a movement performance curated by artist Emma Smith.  

With public safety in mind and due to limitations for the onsite build, we manufactured the units as fixed structures. In addition, we added adjustable feet to the pods for practicality, so the crew could match any uneven ground they encountered. The towering rectangular units stood at 2.8m high, too tall for our in-house spray booths. Once fabricated, we worked with an independent, local company to apply the powder-coat finish in various colours. From commission to production, we delivered the job in just eight weeks. 

After the tour, they were returned to us to be stripped down and recycled, giving the materials a new lease of life.