Samudra’s new book on ecodesign, modern nomadism and living consciously seeks crowdfunding for publication.
Note December 2017: This book has come out as an eBook under the title: ‘The Freedom of Having Nothing’
Dhyan Samudra (aka Katell Gelebart) is about to launch the publication of an extraordinary book, Trash is Treasure. It shares her views about seeing beauty in waste, experimenting with global nomadism, thriving for more awareness via meditation, maintaining courage, passion and uncompromising determination. She spent the last year writing her journey as a pioneer developing ecodesign even before this word existed. The publication of her 300-page book will be crowdfunded via kickstarter.com. Timeline: 14th January 2014. (Crowdfunding has been successful!)
(photos from Samudra’s archive)
Samudra is a young woman from Bretagne, the northwest coast of France. Angry in her twenties, she became an environmental activist and campaigner, hell-bent on ‘changing the world’, reforming public opinion and political leaders to stop their environmental madness. She started off in Paris and then went on to Denmark, with her activism eventually taking her to an ex-Soviet country.
Self-taught and passionate about recycling and reusing since childhood, she opened a shop in Amsterdam to expose her creativity to real market feedback. She learned by trial and mistake.
In 2000, she traveled to the Ukraine to exhibit in her first ecofashion show where she met an Ukrainian couple, both dressmakers, and committed to the same vision… she learned Russian in order to work with them in their studio in Ukraine and developed some collections together with them that she introduced to the European fashion market; a business was formed, ‘Art D’Eco’.
But this still doesn’t meet her need to “better the world.”
In her 30’s, she turned inward to follow Gandhi’s path: being the change you want to see in the world. Embracing yoga and meditation, she spent years in India – first in the community of Auroville, then at the Osho Meditation Centre where she took sannyas in 2007 and continued to spend long periods of time there until 2012. She used her creativity in the Events department by making costumes, backdrops, and diverse décor – all based on her attitude about sustainability. While focusing on inner growth and awareness, her output kept affirming the potential of waste and unwanted materials.
Samudra uses her work to inspire students, housewives, children and craftspeople, reaching out from the deep of India to the coast of New Zealand. She is a pioneer in developing ecodesign and a living example of a modern nomad – all made possible with new technologies. Through workshops and lectures she gives impulse to social change wherever she goes. At the same time, she has had the courage to reflect on personal issues, preventing unharmonious relationships and putting into practice Osho’s ‘deconditioning techniques’.
In 2012, Samudra was awarded the prestigious KAIROS Prize, one of the most prominent cultural awards as special contribution to European Culture, bringing her into the spotlight and rewarding her commitment and trust in life as well as her irreverent spirit.
Crowdfunding: kickstarter.com
Blog: artdecodesign.typepad.com
Facebook page: facebook.com/pages
Four our German readers, a book about Samudra’s work:
Christine Eichel, Die Mülldesignerin – Wie Katell Gélébart die Welt verändert, Scorpio Verlag – scorpio-verlag.de
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