cait oppermaNn and yael malka
INTERVIEW
PHOTOGRAPHED IN BROOKLYN
BY kat slootsky
RECENTLY, WANDERLUST HAS TAKEN ON SYSTEMATIC TONES, EVOKING MUSIC FESTIVAL CARAVANS AND SUNRISE YOGA RETREATS. BUT THE ESSENCE OF THE WORD LIES IN AN IRRISISTIBLE DRAW TOWARDS SPONTANEOUS TRAVEL AND THE UNFAMILIAR EXPERIENCES IT BRINGS. TRUE WANDERING PROVOKES AN ALTERED REALITY THAT DEBASES FAMILIAR EXPECTATIONS AND ROUTINES AT THE SAME TIME IT INCITES ALIENATION AND FAMILIARITY, HOMESICKNESS AND RELEASE.
These conflicting, yet coexisting emotions are enigmatically captured in “Sea Blues,” Cait Oppermann and Yael Malka’s recent photographic monograph. The visceral book documents the Brooklyn-based couple’s 70-day backpacking trip through Morocco, Turkey and Europe, capturing the intoxicating foreign scenes and landscapes they encounter. On a personal level, it also records the journey’s quiet moments, which detail the fluidity and intimacy of Cait and Yael’s lives as creative and romantic partners who pursue their individual photography careers while still collaborating and drawing inspiration from a shared experience.
HOW DID YOU MEET?
Yael: We met at school, Pratt Institute, in our sophomore year. We were taking a black and white advanced photo class.
WHAT WORD WOULD YOUR PARTNER USE TO DESCRIBE YOU?
Cait: Fact-wielding.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PARTNER TO A STRANGER?
Yael: She knows everything. She’s my own personal encyclopedia. She's also the most generous person I know.
Cait: Freckled, hard-working, persistent and curious.
A SONG THAT REMINDS YOU OF YOUR PARTNER
Cait:
Yael:
A SONG YOU BOTH LOVE
Cait:
Yael:
YOUR FAVORITE PICTURE OF YOUR PARTNER
Cait:
Yael:
HOW ARE YOU AND YOUR PARTNER SIMILAR?
Yael: We like spontaneous adventures and we love traveling.
Cait: We are people-watchers.
HOW ARE YOU DIFFERENT?
Yael: I'm way more laid back and she's more neurotic (in a thoughtful, analytical way).
Cait: She walks very slowly through museums.
YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS
Yael:
Cait:
WHAT MAKES YOUR PARTNER UNUSUAL?
Yael: She's actually good at everything. She started racing motocross when she was 9. And she's an incredible drummer.
Cait: She is unfailingly loyal. If she makes a plan or commitment to someone, she won’t break it. She has a group of friends who she grew up with in the Bronx and she remembers all of their birthdays, goes to all of their get-togethers, checks in when one of them starts a new job. She is always thinking of others and will be the first to show up when something goes wrong.
WHAT IS A MEAL YOU'D LIKE TO EAT WITH YOUR HER?
Yael: Carpaccio, fried artichoke, truffle pasta and house wine at Zaza in Florence.
Cait: Pizza at Speedy Romeo.
YOUR FAVORITE PICTURE YOUR PARTNER TOOK
Cait:
Yael: Two of my favorites
A SONG FOR WORKING
Cait:
Yael:
YOUR WORK RIGHT NOW
Yael:
A LINK THAT WOULD MAKE YOUR PARTNER LAUGH
Cait:
Yael:
A SONG FOR RELAXING
Yael:
Cait:
Yael:
Cait:
WHAT IS A DREAM YOU HAVE FOR YOUR PARTNER?
Yael: To get a good photo rep and travel all over taking pictures.
Cait: Making work every day, money is not a worry.
YOUR WORK RIGHT NOW
Cait:
THE FIRST SONG YOU LISTENED TO TOGETHER
Yael:
Cait:
YOUR LAST GOOGLE IMAGE SEARCH
Yael:
A PICTURE YOU WOULD FRAME FOR YOUR PARTNER
Cait: Us in Prague
HOW DO YOU SAY GOODBYE?
Cait: I kiss her cheeks really hard until she closes the door on me.
