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“The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against oblivion.” Milan Kundera, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting

Mission Statement

To illustrate life in post-totalitarian countries in a collaborative online Photoblog, designed to broaden exposure and empower photographers by creating a global community; and to connect these photographers with other L.A.F participants in the form of group exhibits in the country of focus and at the Forum 2000 Human Rights Conference in Prague.

History of the L.A.F Project

The L.A.F Project was originally conceived in 2009, when international award-winning photographers were brought together to commemorate 20 years of democracy in the Czech Republic. The name of the Project, L.A.F., is inspired by Milan Kundera’s famous novel, Laughter and Forgetting. In it, we see the protagonists “laugh and forget” their problems in totalitarian Czechoslovakia.

The initial exhibit debuted at the Forum 2000 Human Rights Conference of 2009 and again was presented at the One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival of 2010. www.oneworld.cz/2010/exhibitions

L.A.F. in the Future

The L.A.F. Project's longterm vision is to play host to an array of post-totalitarian nations by implementing the Photoblog and curating exhibits in each additional country it visits and documents. As the number of countries increases, so will the topics, allowing the photographers, both native and foreign, to express their own views of the issues at hand through their individual work. The goal is to establish a photographic community without nationalistic borders by creating an easily accessible platform for communication and encouraging a continued dialogue between the photographers. We also aim to construct a visual forum that will display how each post-totalitarian nation undergoes its own trials and tribulations in the hopes of constructing a democracy.

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