Cheekily named sleeve design show Secret 7” moves to a bigger home at Somerset House this year, with 700 artists creating artwork for seven iconic tracks all under the veil of secrecy.
Since its inception in 2012 Secret 7” – an annual exhibition that asks designers and illustrators to anonymously illustrate one of seven track – has produced and sold more that 2,000 one-of a kind records and raised more than £105,000 for charity. Now for 2015, it move to a bigger home at Somerset House, but with the same mixture of top notch creative work, philanthropy and a good helping of guesswork.
Just to recap if you’re unfamiliar with the great concept: each year seven iconic tracks are pressed a hundred times in 7” format then every record is given a one-of-a-kind sleeve design by one of 700 different artists. The twist in the tale comes in that visitors and indeed collectors (who can pick up the unique records for the very decent price of £50) don’t know who created their artwork or even which of the seven tracks their buying until they part with their cash. Previous contributors have included Ai Weiwei, Gilbert & George, David Shrigley, Sir Antony Gormley, Jake & Dinos Chapman, Sir Paul Smith, Kate Moross and tonnes more.
This year the chosen tracks include Dead Flowers by The Rolling Stones, Reflections by Diana Ross & The Supremes, Born Slippy by Underworld, Let Forever Be by The Chemical Brothers, Digital Witness by St Vincent, Go by the Maccabees, and Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel (check out Stephen R. Johnson’s stop-frame masterpiece for this track below).
The exhibition will take place in from 10 April to 3 May, and will raise money for Nordoff Robbins, a charity which aims to better the lives of vulnerable children and adults via music therapy. All of the artworks will be on sale from May 4th. Submissions for sleeve designs are now open via the website – you have until 4 March to get them in.
secret-7.com