Javarama show

Off the Beaten Track: A Photo Essay

Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Siberia are places that, for most of us, seem far away and exotic. For Laura Mack, they are places that feel like home. As a student of Russian, Laura visited the capitol of the former Soviet Union and was awed by the stark Stalinist architecture mingled with quaint historic churches. Her fascination with Russia led her to spend 5 years living and working in the rapidly changing world of post-Soviet capitalism where she thrived on the chaotic economic and political landscapes that challenged her flexibility, patience and creativity.

Since 2000, she has traveled nearly a dozen times back to Russia and other former republics. Just last year, she was in Georgia prior to their controversial elections and had the chance to visit far away cities close to the Turkish and Armenian borders. Traveling as a consultant for ACDI/VOCA (Agricultural Cooperative Development International and Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance), a nonprofit organization out of DC, Laura found time to develop her passion for photography, amassing a collection of 35 mm slides of the people and places in these regions.

Through her desire to share her experiences about these places with Americans, she has developed slide presentations for schools, businesses and other community organizations. Her first public photography exhibit took place at L'Amyx on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland. It was entitled, "Faces and Places" and incorporated 22 images from around the world, including Lance Armstrong at the 2003 Tour de France and Thich Naht Hanh, renowned Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist.

Her second show, entitled "Off the Beaten Track", ran in November 2004 at Javarama Coffee House on Park St. in Alameda. With 80 images from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the Republic of Georgia, Moscow and Siberia, as well as 6 short stories and lively captions, this exhibit is really storytelling in images.

On Friday, November 5th, from 6-10 p.m., there will be an opening reception at Javarama with live cello music by Elaine Kreston. Guests will be able to test their knowledge of the former Soviet Republics then and now and have the opportunity to win some exciting door prizes including a bottle of Georgian wine, traditional hand-painted wooden Russian spoons, a CD of music by Elaine Kreston and a framed photograph from the exhibit.

For more information, you can call Laura at (510)910-6406 or visit her web site at http://www.lkmcreativesolutions.com.