Sowers of Joy – Caroline Riegel

Update from Caroline Riegel – June, 4th 2021

I would have never imagined such participation, such support for this project. Thank you so much !!!
The book will exist, in the most beautiful way, thanks to you ! And it will sow the joy of our beautiful sowers, while helping them there through the projects that we have been carrying out together for years now.

The crowdfunding campaign still has a short month ahead of it, and seing the amazing strength of this first collective success which allows the book to exist, we are considering with Hemeria to move to a second step to approach this book with more confidence:

1. Cover the total manufacturing budget,

2. Provide a more elegant cover.

3. Ensure distribution in several European countries and to the United States, since the book is bilingual (French / English).

We have therefore set ourselves a new objective of an additional $ 7 500 that seems realistic to us. May Joy sow!

I can’t wait to give you this beautiful object, which will accompany its poetry through words and images with a second film, intimate and sensitive that questions the feminine, happiness, change … and to meet you at the turn of a screening, a conference or an exhibition to deepen these themes which are so close to my heart!

Hoping to see you in a short time … A huge thank you again. Dolamekanmangpo Julley (which means “countless many thanks »)

A dream come true

Here at last ! A beautiful book in tribute to the « Sowers of Joy ». It is a collection of seeds to be sown to the winds, a photographic immersion, both poetic and intimate with remarkable women. The idea has been germinating for 15 years ! In fact, the first photos in the book are a reminder, in black and white, of the Zanskar of old that I came to know during my first winter in 2004-2005. But, it is a modern and colorful immersion in the four seasons of this enchanting valley that I offer up to you.

Zanskar ? You know, a small Himalayan valley in the Ladakh region in north-western India. Perched at 3,700 m (12,139 ft), a dozen Buddhist nuns live a life of incredible harmony in the small village of Tungri. In 2012 we discovered India together, an extraordinary adventure turned into a documentary film « The Sowers of Joy ». It was aired on France 5 and won many awards. In 2015, the nuns discovered France, a journey whose success exceeded our wildest dreams.

A dream that was inspired by you

You were so numerous to have been touched by these women ! So many to thank me for sharing our crazy friendship, of making their Joy accessible. Your encouragements, your letters and e-mails, your support of our projects have been an unlimited source of energy and happiness. You have also made known your desire to not forget the nuns, but, even more, to see them again. They, as well, have not forgotten a single moment of their fabulous journey in the fall of 2015.

Thanks to Thigspa Association, numerous projects have taken shape at the nunnery in Tungri, bringing a minimum of comfort. But essentially these achievements (a school, cells for new nuns, a water reservoir, solar energy…) ensure the continued existence of this corner of the world, frail custodian of an ancient wisdom. Today, this is the challenge and the raison d’être of my involvement at the side of the Sowers.

A dream that only makes sense if it is shared

This book comes from deep within me. It offers multiple journeys. We discover the character of this unique community and its astonishing sisterhood (an intimate journey) and the superb beauty of their land (a journey through sublime scenery). At the foot of the Great Himalayan Range, the hostile environment strengthens hearts, embracing at the same time spirituality and beauty in an uncompromising Nature. Lacking the superfluous, the Sowers are in contact with the essence of the soul, the awareness of Happiness.

It is this that I’ve tried to create in this unique object. The words layer a discreet and purified emotion on the beauty of the images. I wanted an object that would take us away from screens. An object that is cherished, touched, caressed, passed along, offered and shared. A beautiful object that brings people together, as does the enchanting laughter of the Sowers.

A dream that will also be a film, to be shown on ARTE

But rest assured, if you feel the need to hear the nuns’ wonderful laughter, a film is in the works. It will be shown on ARTE and will of course make the rounds of the festivals. It tells the story of the last winter I spent with the Sowers just as the pandemic was breaking. It offers an intimate and profound interlude in the daily life of the nuns in the heart of winter, in the heart of happiness. It also contains several surprises that will not go unnoticed !
The book therefore accompanies the film, or perhaps it is the reverse ! But I sincerely believe that first I wanted to create a book, as a memory, as a present that we treasure.

A dream that Matthieu Ricard and Rob Linrothe offered to me

Matthieu Ricard, who the nuns met in 2015 and Rob Linrothe, a distinguished professor of Tibetan Art in the United States, a specialist in, and lover of, Zanskar, both offered me, a magnificent preface, written in their own language. Both are a declaration of love of these women, their land, their life and their mountains. The book is bilingual, French and English, first to expand the reading of it to those who are the most involved, but also to all those interested in Zanskar, Buddhism and the Tibetan culture.

A Dream Of Sharing

The current situation is chaotic, and I need you to help this book find its public and fulfill its promises. For if the films and books are ways to share, they are also tools that allow us to continue with projects in Tungri. I am ensuring the entire financing of this book, but without Hemeria it could not be distributed in bookshops, nor would it have been embellished and raised to such a high quality. This choice permits a clear and fair allocation of profits, 80% for Hemeria and the author and 20% for Thigspa and the nunnery.

For this to become possible it is essential to ensure its financing and the printing of the correct number of books. I thank you with all my heart for your interest in this new creation, your support and your loyalty. I’m counting on you to share the information about this pre-sale. I especially hope that this book, which is so close to my heart, will please you as much as it does me !

The Book

Hardcover book

30 x 24 cm, landscape 224 pages

178 photographs, B&W and colors

Text : calligraphy, prose & poetry

Hemeria + Printmodel

This book has been created in close collaboration with the jewellers of photogravure (you know, those that make the magnificent works of Vincent Munier and Laurent Ballesta) and their young publishing house HEMERIA. Their involvement has made it possible to bring an exceptional quality to this beautiful work/homage.

Images available as a print.

Rewards with 24x30cm images

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Rewards with 40x60cm images

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Rewards with 60x90cm images

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The sizes are given as an indication and may vary by a few centimeters depending on the visual chosen.

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