His Holiness the Dalai Lama may or may not like listening to the vocals of The Gossip’s Beth Ditto, wearing Stella McCartney-designed robes and watching Tilda Swinton movies, but he does count those celebrities as his “friends” and has hand picked them, along with the crew behind Dazed and Confused, to help spread his message encouraging kids to become “decisive catalysts” for positive change in society. We’re a little confused, but in a good way, we think…
In preparation for the Buddhist leaders visit to the UK he enlisted the help of PR powerhouse John Doe, fashion agency specialist Mandy Lennard and Dazed to help spread the word of zen and karma to a younger generation of pop culture-savvy hipsters.
The bizarre campaign features celebrities including Jarvis Cocker, Grimes and conceptual artist Marina Abramovic, chosen for their cultural resonance as well as their ability to correctly use a web cam, who each read a line from the Dalai Lama’s vision statement (yes religious leaders have these now) via web cam on the much circulated Youtube clip.
It’s definitely more interesting than Sunday school and you don’t have to leave the house or assume the lotus position to see it. The Pope ain’t got nothing on this.
Words by Tara Kenny
