Looking for something?

Tap outside or press close

NewsArt & Culture

Secret 7" unveils the artists and their record sleeves for this year's charity auction to help refugees

Lubaina Himid, Anish Kapoor, Tacita Dean, Mark Wallinger, Shona Heath, Ragnar Kjartansson, The Connor Brothers, and Helen Beard are amongst the lineup in this year's Secret 7", the anonymous charity auction where leading artists and designers create their own record sleeves of one of seven iconic tracks.

Written By:
Colourful record sleeve artwork featuring "WAIT" and "I JUST" text repeated across pink, yellow and black panels with hand-drawn scribbles

It's anonymous because although we now know who's involved, we still won't know who designed what until the auction day on 1 November 2020. Therein lies the secret. This year, 700 creatives took part in Secret 7" to help raise lots of money for Help Refugees.

As well as those we've already mentioned, there's also record sleeves by Michel Gondry, Gavin Turk, Jeremy Deller, Hattie Stewart, Lotte Andersen, Shona Heath, Gregor Hildebrandt, Stuart Semple, Bob & Roberta Smith, Jadé Fadojutimi, Unskilled Worker and many more. They'll be joined by artists chosen via an open submission, which had almost 6,000 entries this year.

All involved have created one-of-a-kind artwork for their choice of this year's iconic seven tracks: Aretha Franklin 'One Step Ahead', Bob Dylan ‘Blind Willie McTell’, Foo Fighters ‘This Is A Call’, The Internet ‘Come Over’, Koffee ‘Toast’, Miles Davis ‘Miles Runs The Voodoo Down’, and Vampire Weekend ‘Harmony Hall’.

The 700 records will go on display in a free exhibition at NOW Gallery on Greenwich Peninsula from 14th October until 1 November 2020. Visitor numbers are capped at 15 at any one time and a one-way route will be in place to ensure the safety of all attendees. Booking a timed entry ticket is essential – for more information and to book, visit secret-7.com.

On Sunday 1 November, all the records will be sold to the public. In light of current events, the celebrated Secret 7" 'sale day – which has in the past seen queues form up to 52 hours – will take place digitally. The auction will take place on eBay, which will be providing operational support and, through eBay for Charity, waiving its fees in support of the initiative.

Launched in 2012 by Kevin King and Jordan Stokes, Secret 7" has to date sold 4,200 unique records and raised over £215,000 for charitable causes. In what will be its final year in the current format, Secret 7" will support the work of Help Refugees, supporting the provision of food, clothing and shelter to refugees in 14 countries around the world.

Golden key with green handle and electric guitar suspended above blue neon text on gradient purple background
Monochromatic abstract record sleeve with fragmented geometric shapes and bold typography featuring a large "F" character against dark intersecting lines and surfaces
Colourful illustrated record sleeve featuring geometric shapes and stylised figures engaged in various activities including cycling, dancing and exercising in vibrant yellows, greens, reds and blues
Illustration of a figure in a white shirt playing an acoustic guitar, surrounded by musical motifs and a British flag, against a circular background with green fields and sky
Silhouette of a head in profile with layered paper-cut effect showing concentric shapes in purple, pink, orange and yellow, with a glowing centre resembling a light bulb or sun
Layered paper artwork with concentric wavy shapes in gradient colours from purple outer edges through orange to yellow centre, creating a three-dimensional effect on white square top
Collage artwork featuring the Taj Mahal with visitors in traditional dress and a crocodile swimming in blue water below
Colourful abstract record sleeve with bold vertical stripes in red, blue, yellow, black, white and green arranged in a dynamic pattern against a grey background
Square record sleeve featuring blue and white botanical illustrations with intertwining leaves, branches and organic forms
Gold trumpet with scattered particles on white background, one of the Secret 7" record sleeve artworks created for the charity auction
Square artwork featuring rows of pale wooden pencils with various coloured nail polish designs on their tips against a pink background
Terracotta sculptural relief of a smiling face with exaggerated features and bared teeth with X marks across them
Terracotta-coloured sculptural tile with a grinning face featuring prominent white teeth against a grey background
Black berries or seed pods on a stem against a vibrant red background, mounted on a grey wall
Turquoise snake with yellow eyes coiled around the US Capitol building on a bright pink background
Share

Further Reading