Kate Bush is involved in Sound And Vision, a fundraising project for War Child that will see 52 artists auction off works that see them respond to a line in Running Up That Hill.
The line is: ‘If only I could, I’d make a deal with God’ and the idea is, inspired by those words, the artists go off and make their own creations. Among those taking part are Peter Doig, widely regarded as one of Britain’s greatest living artists, whose works regularly sell for telephone digit sums – his Swamped was sold at auction for almost $40 million in 2021; as well as Maggi Hambling, the so-called ‘original bad girl of British art’ whose work can be seen in the permanent collections at the National Portrait Gallery, National Gallery, the V&A and the Tate.
The online auction starts in two weeks time from Tuesday 28 October, concluding on Thursday 13 November. All proceeds will go to War Child, which supports children caught in war zones around the world.
Ms Bush herself has issued a statement supporting the initiative: “All wars leave horrific scars; ruined lives, families ripped apart, life-changing injuries, trauma, and loss on a massive scale – but it’s the children who suffer the most in so many ways.
“Their past, present and future melt away into fear and uncertainty. It is more important than ever we support War Child and their invaluable work providing immediate aid to children caught in conflict all over the world, including in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and Syria.
“Projects like Sound & Vision harness the power of art and music to make a real difference to children living through war. Thank you for supporting this project.”
Running Up That Hill and its accompanying album, The Hounds Of Love are forty years old this autumn – it originally peaked at Number Three in the UK chart in September 1985. It remains one of her best-known and most loved songs, if not the most loved.
Rolling Stone has hailed it as “one of the greatest songs of all time” and of course, after being featured in Stranger Things, it finally reached Number One in 2022, a staggering achievement for a then thirty-seven-year-old record.
If you’re interested in seeing what the 52 artists have come up with, all the artworks will be on display at the Iconic Images Gallery, 16 Waterloo Place, London from Tuesday 4 to Saturday 8 November.
War Child’s Sound & Vision 2025 will be exhibited at Iconic Images Gallery, London from 4-8 November. An online auction takes place from 28 October – 13 November via Givergy. Bids for all pieces start at £100.
