A collaboration between 16 student artists form Hackney Community College and professional artists Zoe Allen and Akiko Usami, creating a distinctive collection focused on bringing the outdoors indoors.

Some group members took their inspiration directly from the gallery environment. Others used a study trip to New York as their starting point. Yet all found resonance in the custom of street art and its use by the locals as a form of regaining control over their home ground.

A quote from the artist Pierre Klossowski echoes the core message the artists wish to get across: “The criminal fight against culture is only the reverse side of a criminal culture.”

The creation of culture is intrinsically linked with the exploitation of certain people. Those exploited will eventually revolt, turning to the vandalism of objects they see as representative of the oppressive culture. Graffiti, often seen as a form of vandalism, is also a means of expression for those who feel they have been taken advantage of and left behind. The collective therefore, chose this art form as the reference point for the creation of their 2.5m by 3.5m mural, the central showpiece of this exhibition.

This is the collective's first show in a commercial space. All members are Foundation Art and Design and BTEC (year 2) students form Hackney Community College . Previous students from the College have gone on to study at art schools such as Goldsmiths, Central St Martins and London College of Communication, eventually becoming professional artists.

Seven Seven became a strange world of talking objects in June 2006, produced by students of B6 Sixth Form College. Everyday objects containing small hidden speakers emitted sounds, music and voices evoking stories developed by students over a series of workshops with artist and performer Duncan McAfee. Visitors could pick out particular narratives or sounds emerging from the overall babble, which told stories of the history and culture of individual students. The project was funded by Awards for All and Hackney's Community Network.

Seven Seven ran art workshops to enable 12 local Hackney children to participate in a photo shoot for the Body Shop International plc in support of their Stop Violence in the Home Campaign. The award-winning campaign, which is run in partnership with the UN Children's Fund UNICEF, has been used in Body Shops worldwide to highlight the rights of children. In the half-term workshops children painted the campaign logo on a wall and made their own houses from wood and fabric.

The children in this image are supporting the campaign. They are not victims of domestic violence.

Artists from Seven Seven are working with children at the Bath House after-school and holiday club to run a weekly art club. The Bath House, situated in Dalston,
provides nursery and after-school care for children up to 11, and has a strong arts and crafts programme. Children are working with each artist for around 4 weeks to produce 3D and mural work, some of which will decorate the walls and gardens of the community centre, and some of which will be shown at Seven Seven over the course of the project. This project is funded by the Local Network Fund.

Photographer Theresa Mikuria, whose show at Seven Seven took place in June 2005, worked with 18-20 year old students at B6 Sixth Form College to develop their
understanding of photographic processes. Pin-hole cameras, blind-fold photography and cyanotype sheets which expose images in sunlight were used to introduce
concepts of how photography works. The students' pinhole pictures and other work was exhibited in the gallery alongside Theresa's photographs during the show.

Three artists participating in the surrealist installaton show "Bulky Luggage" at Seven Seven Gallery ran a series of six workshops with two classes of 18-20 year olds at B6 Sixth Form College. The workshops were aimed at giving students an insight into the professional practise and life of an artist, and to introduce students to professional art galleries and studios in Hackney, which are a valuable resource for young people interested in art. The workshops culminated in students creating their own sculptures
and installing these in the "Bulky Luggage" show in the gallery, where they were exhibited to the public alongside the work of the artists. Both of these projects with B6 College are funded by the Single Community Programme of Hackney.

Seven Seven ran a half-term workshop as part of the Bathhouse's holiday club for 6-11 year olds. Over 3 sessions, around 35 children participated in printing, sculpture, painting and discussion on the theme: "fruit and veg meets contemporary art". Using fruit and vegetables donated by market traders, participants were introduced to a wide range of fruit and vegetables, some unfamiliar to them, which they tasted and handled while using them to make art. Children made potato prints of their chosen fruit, and a market barrow to put them on. They also made sculptures and models using fruit and vegetables. This project was funded by the Hackney Voluntary Action Holiday Grants Scheme.

The Dream Factory was a participatory arts project involving B6 Sixth Form College, community organisations and the public, based around the visit of German artist Gotz Bury to Seven Seven Gallery with his show "The Dream Factory", which enables
participants to have their photos taken using theatrical props and backdrops to turn themselves into celebrities or make their dreams come true. In a series of 8
workshops, a class of 17-19 year old students from B6 created their own backdrops and props, including the world cup and David Beckham, based on their discussions of celebrity representation and the media. These were used by students and others to create their own dream photos. Other groups who participated in the show included the Balik Arts Turkish and Kurdish youth group, the Huddlestone Centre for Disabled
Young People, Hackney Quest Youth Group, and Project Freshstart for young people excluded from school. 320 members of the public participated by having their photos taken over the three weeks of the exhibition, which was funded by Awards for All.

Seven Seven collaborated with people who work in Hackney's open spaces to create a photo exhibition called "Street Seen". Participants were given disposable cameras and asked to photograph beautiful, funny or interesting things they saw at work in the streets, canals and open spaces of Hackney. Seventy pictures by 15 photographers were exhibited in Seven Seven Gallery over a week, with an audience of nearly 500 people. Participants included street cleaners, park groundsmen, canal workers, security guards, delivery men and women and farm workers.

We plan to develop our education programme into a series of regular activities involving children and young people. Where appropriate we will relate education
projects to the exhibitions we show in our gallery, but we will also continue to play an active role in our local community by providing art activities which meet the needs and interests of the community. To achieve this we hope to develop more long term partnerships with educational institutions and community groups to deliver innovative arts projects which will benefit local people.

For further information about the Education Programme please contact info@sevenseven.org.uk