CAREN ALPERT’s captivating terra cibus series draws you so close to a fortune cookie that its cracks and ridges look like an extraterrestrial landscape. She uses an electron microscope to look at common foods in new ways. Ten photos from her terra cibus series are available as postcards in the 100-postcard set Curious Feast, curated by Naz Sahin Ozcan. The following interview with Caren Alpert is included in that postcard box.
WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS LIKE?
With this project, terra cibus, it’s actually quite sequential. I have to adhere to a very specific process for setting up my images to shoot. The most spontaneous part is the very first step — choosing the foods I will photograph.
WHAT IS THE MOST SATISFYING PART OF YOUR PROCESS?
It feels great to actually get on the microscope and start capturing images. There is a lot of work and anticipation in the lead-up to being on the equipment. That’s the point at which I have time to dig in and really start looking for the beautiful details. It is in those moments that my work finds its purpose.
WHO/WHAT HAS BEEN MOST INFLUENTIAL TO YOUR WORK?
Harold Jones, my photo advisor from college at the University of Arizona. We are still in touch to this day, and he has been a tireless supporter of my work. He is a wonderful photographer in his own right.
IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS SIMILAR TO YOUR COOKING PROCESS?
I try to be approachable in both, and not too fussy.
WHAT IS ALWAYS IN YOUR FRIDGE?
Chocolate.
Curious Feast: 100 Postcards by 10 Artists, curated by Naz Sahin Ozcan, is available from:
Caren Alpert is a San Francisco–based fine-art and commercial photographer. She specializes in food, travel, and lifestyle topics, and teaches editorial photography at the Academy of Art University. Born in New York and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Caren earned a bachelor of fine arts in photography and graphic design from the University of Arizona. Much of Caren’s commercial life centers around culinary topics, but she is also a science geek at heart; by shooting food with an electron microscope, she combines her three favorite topics — food, technology, and art. Caren’s fine-art photography focuses on her examination of food, both visually and culturally.
