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Phone: 905-845-3824 (ext. 5559) Fax; 905-337-5567 e-mail: rjerred@haltonsearch.com Wi ll >.\KSI )AY. JAM WHY I.". 2< x > .{ · I 'n y c I U ARTSfflE Pictured above and right a re two exam ples of Johnny L am 's photographs from his show A Journey o f Self Discovery in Southeast Asia a t Sheridan College this Friday. A photographer's journey Johnny Lam s exhibit gives small glimpse into his three-year 27-country odyssey By Paula Henriques OAKVILLE REAVER STAFF When Johnny Lam travelled across Europe and Asia for almost three years, lit tle did he know it would be a journey of self-discovery. Returning April 2002 from a 29-month backpack adventure that saw him visit 27 countries. Lam decided to put his voyage in multi-media format to allow others to view those experiences. Already sold out. his presentation. A Journey o f Self Discovery in Southeast Asia, focuses on only two of those countries. Laos and Cambodia, and will be viewed by 120 guests in Sheridan College's SCAET auditorium this Friday evening. The presentation came as a complete surprise to Lam. who didn't know what to do with all that he learned and witnessed, only calling his experiences "a revelation." "I wanted people to become more aware of what's going on other than only their own daily lives and to appreciate what they have." he said. The 27-year-old Lam. upon graduating from the three-year Illustration program at Sheridan College, had no idea what he was going to do as a career. Explaining he did n't like the way the Illustration industry was going, he instead went to "find him self." Saving enough money to go to Europe, this first-time traveller first stopped in British Columbia for two months "as a warm-up" before making his way to England and Scotland. "I was fascinated with history, not as much the architecture, but more the culture and people," he explained. "My heart is with the people. That's what keeps me going." From there he toured Ireland, Holland, Morocco, Greece. Turkey and stayed in Europe for more than a year with only a camera as his companion. A photography buff since the age of 16, Lam taught himself every aspect of camera work, saying he chose to teach himself so his work wouldn't be spoiled by teachers' rules. His ability to capture beauty even in the most ordinary of objects is evident in one Laos slide where a solitary window, its colour a deep burnt red, with one of its shutters open, sits above a store. The evening shadows cast just the right shading against the sand-coloured walls. The store's name, Carterie Du Laos, is in French, a reminder of the country's French colonial roots. He said he was just walking by and was struck by how beautiful the light looked against the window. The time soon came when money ran out. and Lam, prepared to fly home within 24 hours, said he had "the most amazing thing happen." "I met this really interesting fellow at a party in Germany. His name was Heiko. He was really into Asian cosmograms. like Feng Shui. He convinced me that roots are important and that I had to find my roots to help develop myself. He became a mentor in finding myself. "A chance meeting with stranger literal ly started my transition into becoming a man." So this Hong Kong native stayed in Germany and worked for a graphic design company to save enough money to go to Southeast Asia. In China four months, a chance meeting with a woman on a bus led him to a rural Johnny Lam said he was struck by the beauty of the light from the setting sun on the window of this store, whose French nam e is a rem inder of the co u n try 's F rench colonial roots. village in the mountains there, where its residents would ultimately challenge every one of his beliefs. "I'm not one to pass on an opportunity, so after meeting this woman from Malaysia, who had family in the mountains. I stayed there for three weeks," he said. "I remember this seven-year-old girl, who held her brother's hand in her left hand, and in her right hand, she had a bag of groceries. I saw this everywhere. The siblings take care of each other. The kids weren't crying or yelling. They understood their positions. Here (in Canada) we are not so clear about our identities." he said. Lam felt he needed to help in some way and using the watercolour paints he brought in his backpack, he taught the chil dren of the village at their small school how to paint. But it wasn't enough for him. He wanted to use his skills to raise money for supplies, but a lesson in politics quickly brought the idea to a halt. "The same woman I met on the bus was becoming a teacher, so she could have influence over the education system, so she could have some control over the internal affairs over the communist party. She told me that I wouldn't be able to do it, that it would be too hard. I was very upset. I did n't want to drive into a dead end. So I con templated ideas and I thought maybe I could create a documentary using my skills as a photographer," he said. From Bangkok he returned to Oakville in April with a thousand negatives, and much work to accomplish. "I wanted to bring awareness (of other countries) especially to people in this socie ty. We've got absolutely everything, even basic things like clean water. Yet we are not happy. There they don't have much yet they are happy. The word civilized is often used, but I'm still pondering, which way is more civilized?' said Lam, who now speaks four languages, including Cantonese, Mandarin, and German. He said he experienced culture shock when returning to Toronto. "There's such a big difference. We are so well provided for here." Immigrating to Canada from Hong Kong when he was 14 years old, Lam said he tried to fit into Western society so he wouldn't stand out "1 tried so hard to blend in to Canadian culture. But on my trip, I had a revelation. It's important to know your roots. During my trip, a woman told me, `You have two births. The first is from your mother. The other is from yourself.'" He said even though there is much polit ical turmoil in many of the countries he vis ited he felt very safe. The second showing of his Laos and Cambodia documentary will be on Feb. 7 at Sheridan College, with a reception at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $7. Mongolia will be the focus of his next documentary. For ticket information email Johnny Lam at lamjohn_@hotmail.com or pur chase them at the Second Cup on Lakeshore Road, in downtown Oakville. 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