Live 4 X
Encyclopedia
Live 4 X is an online charitable event series launched in 2010 by Grammy winning recording artist Imogen Heap
and social media philanthropist and urban entrepreneur Thomas Ermacora. Initially inspired by the 2010 Pakistan floods
, each individual event is organized as a charitable initiative in response to catastrophic situation or event, such as a natural disaster, that has incurred vast devastation and suffering.
By integrating education, entertainment, and modern technology, Live 4 X events stream online in real time, with the goal of educating viewers regarding their respective charitable initiative, providing complimentary entertainment in exchange for donations to a relevant organization, and crowd-sourcing sustainable design ideas that may later be implemented in recovery efforts. Past non-profit beneficiaries have included The Red Cross, UNICEF, and Architecture for Humanity
.
Regarding the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Heap stated, “I wanted to do something, but what can you? I mean, you can give money, but it doesn’t seem like enough. Music is the thing that we do, and I wanted in some way to connect that to these events.”
The Live 4 X event series is a project under the umbrella of Bubbletank, an experimental, collaborative enterprise, launched by Heap and Ermacora in 2010, and geared toward leveraging the power of social media to facilitate charitable efforts toward proactive change through the mediums of music, cyber technology, design, and film.
Imogen Heap
Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap is a Grammy Award-winning English singer, composer and songwriter from Havering, Essex. She is known for her work as part of the musical duo Frou Frou and her solo albums, which she writes, produces, and mixes...
and social media philanthropist and urban entrepreneur Thomas Ermacora. Initially inspired by the 2010 Pakistan floods
2010 Pakistan floods
The 2010 Pakistan floods began in late July 2010, resulting from heavy monsoon rains in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan regions of Pakistan and affected the Indus River basin. Approximately one-fifth of Pakistan's total land area was underwater, approximately...
, each individual event is organized as a charitable initiative in response to catastrophic situation or event, such as a natural disaster, that has incurred vast devastation and suffering.
By integrating education, entertainment, and modern technology, Live 4 X events stream online in real time, with the goal of educating viewers regarding their respective charitable initiative, providing complimentary entertainment in exchange for donations to a relevant organization, and crowd-sourcing sustainable design ideas that may later be implemented in recovery efforts. Past non-profit beneficiaries have included The Red Cross, UNICEF, and Architecture for Humanity
Architecture for Humanity
Architecture for Humanity is a charitable organization that seeks architectural solutions to humanitarian crises and brings professional design services to communities in need...
.
Regarding the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
Heap stated, “I wanted to do something, but what can you? I mean, you can give money, but it doesn’t seem like enough. Music is the thing that we do, and I wanted in some way to connect that to these events.”
The Live 4 X event series is a project under the umbrella of Bubbletank, an experimental, collaborative enterprise, launched by Heap and Ermacora in 2010, and geared toward leveraging the power of social media to facilitate charitable efforts toward proactive change through the mediums of music, cyber technology, design, and film.
A catalog of Live 4 X events:
- August 31, 2010 – Live 4 Pakistan raised funds for flood relief and recovery in that region. Musicians included Ben FoldsBen FoldsBenjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
, Amanda PalmerAmanda PalmerAmanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer , sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer, is an American performer who first rose to prominence as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the duo The Dresden Dolls...
, Kate HavnevikKate HavnevikKate Havnevik is a singer and songwriter from Oslo, Norway. Her debut album, the critically acclaimed electronica infused Melankton, was released in March 2006 on iTunes and April 2006 in Norway only, before being licensed internationally later...
, KT TunstallKT TunstallKate Victoria "KT" Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist from St Andrews, Scotland. She broke into the public eye with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland...
, Josh GrobanJosh GrobanJoshua Winslow "Josh" Groban is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country...
, and Zoe KeatingZoë KeatingZoë Keating is a Canadian-born cellist and composer based in San Francisco, California.In her solo performances and recordings , she uses live electronic sampling and repetition in order to layer the sound of her cello, creating rhythmically dense musical structures...
. - February 3, 2011 – Live 4 Capetown
- April 11, 2011 – Live 4 Sendai raised funds for Japanese tsunami recovery following the disastrous Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. The event was also used to solicit rebuilding design ideas on behalf of Architecture for HumanityArchitecture for HumanityArchitecture for Humanity is a charitable organization that seeks architectural solutions to humanitarian crises and brings professional design services to communities in need...
. Performers included Amanda PalmerAmanda PalmerAmanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer , sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer, is an American performer who first rose to prominence as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the duo The Dresden Dolls...
, Ben FoldsBen FoldsBenjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
, KT TunstallKT TunstallKate Victoria "KT" Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist from St Andrews, Scotland. She broke into the public eye with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland...
and Jamie CullumJamie CullumJamie Cullum is an English pop and jazz-pop singer-songwriter. Though he is primarily a vocalist/pianist he also accompanies himself on other instruments including guitar and drums. Since April 2010, he has been presenting a weekly jazz show on BBC Radio 2, broadcast on Tuesdays from 19:00.- Early...
and hosted by Ze FrankZe FrankOn March 17, 2006, Frank launched the daily video program the show with zefrank. The format of the program combined commentary on media and current events with viewer contributions and activities...
.