Tinker on the outskirts
Malte Brenneisen is a freelance writer, firefighter, and mobility fan. He moved into a shared flat on the outskirts of the city with his family. A conversation about changing perspectives, artificial intelligence, and the lack of role models.
Hey Malte, who are you and how do you spend your time?
Hey, thanks for inviting me to this format and for the almost philosophical opening question. I’m Malte Brenneisen, 37 years old – and right now I’m a family man, volunteer firefighter, and media professional. In that order. If there’s any time left over, I like to spend it in or under my old VW bus, in the forest or in the mountains.
You live here in a magical place, having made the move from the city center to the outskirts a few years ago. What has changed in you as a result? What does this living space do to you?
At the weekend, I went to the so-called "Parkzauber", a summer festival organized at the Haus der Natur by the Jordsand e.V. association and the neighbourhood. For example, there were craft activities for kids, performances by the local circus and gymnastics club and a dance tent. A blind man performed Arabic music on a keyboard, to which everyone swayed: tall, short, old, young, fat, thin, different skin colors, with a wheelchair or trisomy 21. Waffles were baked at the buffet, there was venison sausage or vegetable pan, part of the proceeds were donated to the Last Generation. I felt right at home. That’s what this place does to me – it’s a good counterbalance to the difficult issues that surround me, that surround us all.
What does the starry sky look like here?
When I think about it, I don’t look up enough. And when I do, we mainly see the glow of the city.
There is certainly no place that can do everything. What challenges does life entail here?
Where there’s a lot of space, there are fewer people. That’s often nice, but sometimes it’s also challenging. When I go to a playground with my children, we are usually alone there. The families here have their own gym and play equipment in their gardens. I really miss the hustle and bustle of the Kemal Altun playground in Ottensen. And now, in summer, I have to decide again which part of the garden should die. It’s simply impossible and irresponsible to water everything. But hey, these are my luxury problems.
If you could create an ideal place to live, what would it look like?
Not too far out, it must be accessible by train or bus. If possible, it would be a shared flat, or at least a place with open doors that you never have to lock. With lovely neighbors who organize and support each other – and don’t put up fences to keep themselves apart. The place also needs a kind of "third space" that is neither work nor home. For me, for example, it’s our shed, where I can tinker, screw around or cause chaos – while listening to loud music.
What could the city learn from the village, and vice versa?
Sharing is caring. That applies to both living spaces. I trained as a volunteer firefighter in the village – an exciting biotope in which I enjoy working and learning really useful things. I should have done that in the city. It’s a great opportunity to leave your own bubble – and do something more systemically relevant.
You’ve been riding muli for a long time, first in the city, now here. How has the usage changed?
Hand on heart: I used it every day in the city, but I rarely use it here. The routes are longer, there are lots of sand and gravel paths that turn to mud when it rains. What’s more, I now have more basket contents: two children have joined the dog.
Very understandable, but it has to be said that you are out here with the muli muscle.
Yes, indeed, an electric drive for more Schuuuuuuuub is actually a must here.
But Hamburg seems to be a complicated mobility puzzle anyway. There is really only one tunnel and one bridge to the south.
How mobile are you?
I guess I’m registered with every mobility service in Hamburg: car sharing, e-scooters, e-scooters, bicycles – and of course public transport. Depending on the route, occasion and transport volume, I use the one that suits me best. Some services work for me, others disappear again. Particularly cool: In the Stormarn district, there is the "hvv hop" service, which are large electric cabs that take people from the train station or bus stop to their home or vice versa. In our case, the journey costs 1 euro.
Do you believe in the mobility transition?
Every time I cycle to Deichtorplatz in Hamburg, I lose hope again. Other cities manage this much better, where the order of priority is already "people before metal," i.e. pedestrians, cyclists, and motorized traffic. But Hamburg seems to be a complicated mobility puzzle anyway. There really is only one tunnel and one bridge to the south. Hopefully everyone will never have to get there at the same time.
As someone who is also professionally involved in the production of texts, how do you experience the current development of AI?
I was born at the time of the rotary dial telephone. Today, I wear a screen in my pants from which an avatar of me can facetime with you in an imitated voice and manner of speaking. When I imagine that one day I’m no longer in this world and it still works: it takes some getting used to, but perhaps it’s also sociable – for example for bereaved people who have to lie alone in a nursing home or hospice?
Other AIs could answer the questions in this interview today – and, to be honest, they are already proofreading a lot of my texts. They transcribe audio interviews for me, help me write headlines (like this one), lead-ins, and translations. In short: I love it! I think it’s wrong to close yourself off to it as a content creator. That’s why I soak up everything that’s out there – and also offer useful things transparently as a service to my customers.
What do you want for the next few years?
New role models! I have lost confidence in our politics in recent years and sometimes fail because of our understanding of democracy and globalization. Federalism is becoming more and more complicated - the rich are getting richer and what is happening at the EU’s external borders and especially in the Mediterranean is an intolerable crime that we are helping to perpetrate. Sorry for the polemic at the end … but every beautiful polar bear documentary has to end with the melting ice.
Thank you for the interview!
Photos 1 & 5: Martin Oelze
