We Sell Hope

Owen was invited to be part of the rebooted Secret 7" show, alongside an array of acclaimed international artists and designers, including Anthony Burrill, Jean Jullien, Paul Smith, Tacita Dean, Stanley Donwood, Bob and Roberta Smith, Supermundane, Morag Myerscough and Pure Evil.

Each artist was asked to pick from a selection of tracks previously unreleased on 7", this year including tracks from Paul McCartney, Aurora, Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Chemical Brothers, Hozier, Celeste and The Specials – who Owen chose to create his artwork for.

Owen's sleeve was created in response to The Specials’ track ‘We Sell Hope’ – reflecting its message of optimism and unity amidst the complexities and contradictions of the world. Referencing the lyric “white is black, black is white” he created a handcrafted multi-layered papercut sculpture, filled with a gradient of hopeful tones, moving from light to dark and back.

Each sleeve was put up for auction and Owen's received the 4th highest bid of all 700 sleeves, raising $899 which added to the rest of the sales raised a grand total of $210,000 for charity War Child – helping to protect, educate, and stand up for the rights of children living through conflict in 14 countries around the world.