Our story with collaborator Giles Duley starts at Kensington Palace.
We were honored to be guests of MAG (Mines Advisory Group) - invited to celebrate Prince Harry's announcement that he will walk in his mother's footsteps toward a #landminefree2025. Princess Diana had made the problem of landmines a humanitarian issue. Harry commits to carry on this legacy advocating for the removal and eradication of landmines across the world.
Beatrix Ost joins us at Kensington Palace for the announcement. All of a sudden, she looks up and sees her friend, Giles Duley, across the crowd. She has just launched her book, The Philosopher's Style, which includes her interview with Giles - fashion and music photographer who transitioned to share lesser known humanitarian stories of kindness, perseverance, and resilience in regions of conflict.
Beatrix's book is about inner style, because she believes, in your body is a good place to be. Through a series of interviews, she explores how people she knows put their inner ideas into action - from a doorman opening doors at a swanky uptown NYC apartment building to a doctor researching a cure for Alzheimer's.
Or, a photo journalist telling the stories of individuals surviving in the hardest places - South Sudan, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Laos. That's Giles. And that's how we (coincidentally) came together at Kensington Palace on International Landmine Awareness Day, April 4, 2017.
- Giles Duley
This chance encounter at Kensington Palace led us to collaborate with Giles. He's traveled the world and spent time with communities in Laos affected by recent explosions of Vietnam War era bombs. His photos and stories show the strength of women, children, and men rebuilding their lives during and after conflict.
His purpose is to show the civilians whose stories are missed by many media outlets. The stories of resilience, courage, hope, and connection.
Giles does this work despite his own accident, when he stepped on a landmine in Afghanistan. Learn more about Giles in his own words in his TED Talk, When a reporter becomes the story.
Giles shared with us about his time spent in Laos discovering the 80 million unexploded bombs, people living amidst them, and the stories of survivors and families who'd lost loved ones.
Giles shared with us about his time spent in Laos discovering the 80 million unexploded bombs, people living amidst them, and the stories of survivors and families who'd lost loved ones.
And so, our collaboration with Giles was born out this shared experience and the artistic vision of artist and musician, Robert del Naja of the band Massive Attack. Photos from around the world would adorn the stages across Europe and the US where Massive Attack would tour. And the signature flame logo would be marked on necklace pendants that read KARMACOMA. Partial proceeds from each necklace support MAG in Laos and the Legacy of War Foundation Giles founded to start conversations and build collaborations with survivors, non-profits, and creatives.
- Massive Attack
Karmacoma is chosen by Robert del Naja. We read the message as a nod to how our Peacebomb jewelry turns negative into positive. It suggests how we can work to break vicious circles and strive to build virtuous ones that become our good karmacoma.
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