A Chat With Antonia Märzhäuser (Freunde Von Freunden)
Tomorrow we’re bringing together a selection of Europe’s finest city, design and culture bloggers in Amsterdam at Blogging the City, a one-day conference where the ‘blogosphere’ discusses the urban future. Counting the days to the event, we’re publishing a series of short interviews with some of the speakers. Today: Antonia Märzhäuser of Freunde von Freunden, a Berlin-based interview and photography blog that offers a unique view into the lives of the creative class in the German capital and other big cities around the globe. In 2011, FvF launched its first book, Freunde von Freunden Berlin. A second book is in the making.
1. What puts your city on the map?
“Berlin is known for its creative potenial, cheap rents and food and a lot of space. But all these things aready started to become less and less, so I think what really makes Berlin an interesting place is that it has so many different faces. Charlottenburg is so different from Mitte and so are the people’s mentalities. The history of the city always made Berlin an extraordinary place, but now its the first time maybe since the 20’s that the city really becomes international.”
2. A topic that really needs to be more discussed in the European urban world is “…”, because “…”?
“…is sustainable urban development because what makes European cities different from cities in for example the US it their heterogenity within the city centre. We should think about how we can maintain this and should think about ways to stop the migration of people of lower income to the city’s periphery.”
3. As a blogger, how does Amsterdam inspire you?
“You have to ask me this question after the conference again!”
4. Some people paint the town red. What would you paint?
“I would leave it the way it is. Cities change in their own organic way and I think people shouldn’t intefere too much when it comes to aesthetics.”
5. On your blog you portray people in their homes or working environments. Could you tell us about your place, and show us your favorite piece of furniture?
“I live in a very calm and green area of Kreuzberg (yes, thats possible). Its a very old building and I think what I like most about the apartment itself is the really weird stuccoed ceiling. When I moved in I thought it’s swans but if you take a closer look you realize that the adornment is made out of dragons.”
