LBi London

LBi and Macmillan launch the Infi-Knit

Posted by Imogen Thacker December 13th, 2010

LBi and Macmillan Cancer Support have announced the launch of Infi-knit, a web powered knitting machine built to create a woollen petition to highlight the plight of cancer patients living in fuel poverty(www.infi-knit.org.uk).

Macmillan briefed LBi to come up with an innovative way to raise awareness of its campaign to end fuel poverty for cancer patients. Cancer patients have higher fuel bills because they feel the cold more and spend more time at home during treatment and recovery. The campaign is intended ultimately to persuade the government to help vulnerable cancer patients pay their fuel bills.

The Infi-knit has been designed so users can visit the site www.infi-knit.org.uk, and submit what keeps them warm. E.g. “Chocolate keeps me warm”. This personal feeling then selects a unique, coloured pattern, which is knitted into a real life scarf. Web cams, based in LBi’s Brick Lane offices,  records the Infi-knit carrying out its unique stitch, so users can then watch their piece of the knitted petition being created. Users are encouraged to share their warmth on Facebook and Twitter.

Laura Jordan Bambach, Executive Creative Director, LBi,  “Helping Macmillan petition the government in a positive and uplifting way  is exciting for LBi to be part of. By putting a smile on the face of all their supporters taking part creates a warmth of its own. Infi-knit has been built with a lot of love, and hopefully that will show in the campaign’s success over the next few months.”

Christopher Hall, Digital Project Manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, “Working closely with LBi we feel we’ve created an innovative and fun way for people to get involved with our petition against fuel poverty. We want people to knit their bit so that people living with cancer can feel warm without the worry.“

LBi and Macmillan would like to offer special thanks to their yarn partner “Yeoman Yarns”, our machine partner “Silver Reed (brought to you by Silver Viscount)” and our software partner “DesignaKnit” for all of their help and support to launch the Infi-knit.

www.macmillan.org.uk

Tags: cancer, Fuel Poverty, government, knitting, LBi, LBi UK, Macmillan

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A war on files

Posted by Chris Clarke October 28th, 2009

I’ve just got back from C&binet forum, a government organised conference bringing the creative industries together to discuss the challenges and opportunities outlined in this year’s Digital Britain report. It was by and large a worthwhile event, and as always much of the value was in meeting talented people from all corners of the creative industry. On the downside, the debate in the main hall focussed way too much on ways of preserving outdated business models in the face of web enabled copyright infringement and not enough on ideas and business models which exploit the new realities.

Lord Mandelson announced this morning after keeping us waiting for a suitably rock n roll period of time that the government’s bright idea to combat file sharing is to send letters on a three strikes basis. What then happens isn’t clear, but I can’t help feeling it won’t work. Clearly the government has to be seen to do something, but I can’t help feeling this will drive the behaviour underground via encryption. Yesterday I asked Sion Simon if the government has an appetite for a war on files alongside the clearly very effective one raging on drugs. It seems they have.  To be fair the announcement did hint at help for businesses offering credible alternatives to illegal downloads, but in true New Labour style there didn’t seem to be any clarity over what that will be.  More positive was a commitment to fixing the UK’s arcane copyright laws, making it easier for artists to clear rights for the production of new work. As David Lammy said yesterday in his well informed speech, quoting Picasso; “good artists borrow, great artists steal.” So we look forward to the possibility of legislation which will enable a legitimate future for sampling, mashups and other digitally driven forms of creativity.

Tags: c&binet, copyright, government, UK, web

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