🌱 New beginnings

What if your life is just waiting to ferment into something unexpected?

I made a bet with myself.

If my artwork made it into the Food Innovation Camp’s Foodsense exhibition, I would finally start sharing my creative food journey publicly. You’re reading this — or maybe you’ve seen the piece at the FIC — so you already know how that turned out.

Shortly after submitting, I received the confirmation: Ursuppe, my microscopic artwork from wild-fermented spirulina, was selected by the curatorium. I’m beyond excited to see how people respond, and even more curious what collaborations might grow from this.

Wild-fermented spirulina reveals a hidden world. A landscape that invites reflection on where our food comes from, and where it might take us.

I never expected to find anything like it. Under the microscope, elaborate landscapes emerged from just a drop of lacto-fermented spirulina. It looked like a satellite view of the Alps or Norwegian fjords — organic, otherworldly, and alive.

Ursuppe (German for “primordial soup”) evokes both the origins of life and the evolving nature of what we call food.

The image shows a microscopic view of wild-fermented spirulina. A cyanobacterium considered both one of Earth’s oldest life forms and a promising protein source for the future of food. As the cells dissolve during fermentation, they reshape into intricate patterns that resemble aerial landscapes. It’s a visual reminder of the hidden potential in transformation, and of the rich stories everyday ingredients can hold.

What began as an explorative summer experiment — adding this fresh, unfamiliar microalgae into sourdough, yoghurt, and wild sodas — turned into something far deeper. If I hadn’t gifted myself a microscope (a long-held wish) to see beyond what’s visible to the eye, I would’ve never discovered this quiet world.

It reminded me that there’s so much beauty in the overlooked. That everyday ingredients can hold unexpected stories. That transformation, culinary or otherwise, often starts in silence, noticed only by the curious few. And maybe that’s not a limitation, but a superpower: to pause, notice, and pivot what’s hidden into something that reveals its own meaning and value.

That’s the spirit behind Roots & Horizons: exploring how food can shape culture, emotions, and possibilities. I'm fascinated by fermentation, forgotten techniques, and the subtle shifts that connect biology with belonging.

If you're into ingredients that challenge the norm, processes that teach freedom, and food that tells a story — welcome. You're in the right place.

In the next post, I’ll be sharing some results from my spirulina kitchen experiments.

Let’s see what ferments next.

🌿 Mai

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