Looking for something?

Tap outside or press close

NewsArt & Culture

Sir Paul Smith and Sir Anish Kapoor amongst the many artists to take part in this year's Secret 7"

Over the course of its six-year history, Secret 7" has captured the imagination of music fans, art connoisseurs and record collectors alike, and 2018 is proving to be no exception to this rule. Today, the project which is bringing together music and art in aid of mental health charity Mind, can finally reveal the first of the world-class list of artists who will be creating record sleeves for this year’s event, hosted at The Jetty on Greenwich Peninsula.

Written By:
Stylised illustration of a figure with golden wavy hair and blue skin holding a smartphone, set against a pink and black striped background

Among the 700 contributors for 2018 are Sir Anish Kapoor, one of the world’s most influential sculptors and winner of both the Turner Prize and Japan’s Praemium Imperiale; Sir Paul Smith, Britain’s foremost designer and sartorial national treasure; Jake & Dinos Chapman, one of the most dominant and subversive forces in British contemporary art; and conceptual video and installation artist and Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller.

Joining them will be Icelandic performance artist Ragnar Kjartansson; esteemed taxidermist Polly Morgan; one of the most influential figures in the history of punk, The Clash bassist and painter, Paul Simonon; photographer Pennie Smith, who captured one of the most iconic images in rock history when her shot of Simonon smashing his bass was used as the cover for The Clash’s ‘London Calling’ album; and set designer to the likes of Kanye West, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and U2, Es Devlin.

All designers have created one-of-a-kind artwork for their choice of this year’s seven tracks: ‘Lover, You Should’ve Come Over’ - Jeff Buckley; ‘I’m Not Down’ - The Clash; ‘I Saved The World Today’ - Eurythmics; ‘Castles Made of Sand’ - Jimi Hendrix; ‘Help’ - London Grammar; ‘No Surface All Feeling’ - Manic Street Preachers; and ‘Damaged’ - Primal Scream.

For the uninitiated, the concept is simple: Secret 7” chooses an iconic track from seven world-renowned artists, and presses up 100 copies of the recording on 7” vinyl. Hundreds of the world’s most influential creative forces - including artists, designers, photographers and illustrators - then create a unique one-of-a-kind piece of artwork for each of the 700 records.

All 700 records will go on display in a free exhibition at the vibrant summer hub, The Jetty, on Greenwich Peninsula from Friday 8 June until Saturday 23 June. On Sunday 24 June at 10 a.m., every record goes on sale for the set price of £50. The twist? The identity of the sleeve designer remains a closely guarded secret until it’s in the buyer's hands. Therein lies the secret. All profits from the sale will go to mental health charity Mind. Here, we share just a sneak peek at a selection.

A spherical sculpture painted with navy blue and white abstract brushstrokes, with a yellow-rimmed opening, alongside a peeled section showing the yellow interior, against a bright red background
Person wearing dark hat and sunglasses with red and blue striped cartoon snakes draped around their head and shoulders against a blue background
Firefighters in yellow and black uniforms spray water on a burning grand piano during a fire, illustrated in a vibrant, stylised artwork
Light blue sculptural octopus with curved tentacles and a smiling face displayed in an urban plaza surrounded by period buildings
Stylised flower with concentric red and white circular lines forming the bloom and dark green leaves on a brown stem against a pale background
Surreal illustration of a large green head with closed eyes emerging from purple terrain, surrounded by cream and white clouds against a pink and yellow sky, with colourful plants in the foreground
Layered paper-cut style illustration with wavy horizontal bands in pink, yellow, blue, purple, hot pink, orange and yellow, with a small white circle suggesting a sun in the upper right corner
Whimsical illustration of a large blue creature reclining in a purple underwater landscape with tall green trees, while a small figure rows a boat nearby
Black and white photograph with green overlay showing two people in a laundry room surrounded by washing machines and clothes hanging above
Stylised illustration of two abstract faces in orange and blue with black facial features facing each other on a cream background
Retro-style illustration of a neon-lit Paradise Motel sign with turquoise and yellow desert landscape beneath a yellow sky with birds flying overhead
Collage artwork showing a person's face partially obscured by horizontal torn paper strips, with a military transport aeroplane visible through the centre gap against a blue sky
Illustrated portrait of a figure with a pink face and black outlined features wearing a black textured shirt against a green background with sketched plants and a red rectangular object floating above
A neon-outlined water droplet glowing with pink, cyan and red gradients on a dark screen within a futuristic blue-lit chamber for Secret 7
Person in patterned navy jacket and dark trousers holding red watering cans against a bright red background
Nude female figure with hand raised to head, standing against a bright yellow rectangular panel set in a green landscape under blue sky
Illustrated portrait of a figure with dark hair, braids, a feather headdress, and a red stripe across their eyes against a bright blue background
Share

Further Reading