Paul McCartney has selected a lyric from his song Band on the Run (1973) to inspire a charity exhibition and auction featuring new works by more than 60 artists, including Genieve Figgis, Alvaro Barrington, Joshua Donkor and Sanya Kantarovsky. McCartney chose the line “Well the rain exploded with a mighty crash as we fell into the sun” from the title track of the 1973 album by McCartney and Wings. Participating artists have been invited to create original works responding to the lyric.
The artworks will be part of the third edition of the annual Sound & Vision show and sale, organised by the charity War Child UK and the arts organisation AOAP Projects, which will be exhibited at London’s Iconic Images Gallery (6-8 November). An online auction (27 October-12 November) will raise funds for the charity’s work with children affected by conflict.
“We couldn’t be more grateful to Paul McCartney for donating his lyric from Band on the Run,” says Charlotte Nimmo, War Child UK’s fundraising engagement director. “It’s also wonderful to see that yet again, some of the most exciting names in the visual arts space have been inspired by his music to create new work, raising vital funds to support War Child’s work in some of the most dangerous parts of the world.” Gemma Peppe, the exhibition’s curator and the founder of AOAP Projects, says that the artists “have had a lot of fun” with the lyric.
Alvaro Barrington has donated Sunset for P
Last year, Kate Bush selected the lyric for the second edition, which raised more than £140,000, while the inaugural Sound & Vision show and auction in 2024 was inspired by a David Bowie lyric. One of the artists involved this year, George Underwood, also supported the 2024 edition. A childhood friend of Bowie, he created artwork for albums including Hunky Dory and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
Other contributors this year include Aleah Chapin, Anne Rothenstein, Alice Kettle, Charlie Billingham and Matt Bollinger.
Proceeds will support War Child’s provision of specialist mental health services, education, protection and emergency aid. The charity works in active conflict zones including Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza.
McCartney’s involvement continues a relationship with War Child spanning more than three decades. In 1995, he joined Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher among others to record The Beatles’ Come Together for the charity’s HELP album, supporting children affected by the war in Bosnia.
