Tina runs a pop-up location in Austria and is a professional photographer and graphic designer. She is freedom-loving, spontaneous, and restless. Creative chaos dominates her everyday life, while her twin sister forms the structured counterpoint. She describes her style as minimalist and reduced, so it is not surprising that her motifs are preferably rigid objects. Her passion is traveling in her bus to remote places where she enjoys the silence and recharges her energy. Nevertheless, the past two years awaken an urge for interaction in her. Surprisingly, I meet the dreamy realist again at the other end of the world.
In January 2022, during a business trip, we are sitting on a terrace in South Africa and looking at Table Mountain. A light breeze is blowing, while we’re drinking water. Nonetheless, life in Cape Town quickly seems surreal to us. During the winter we were still suffering in our homeland from lockdowns. Like me, Tina is amazed at the mass of Europeans visiting South Africa. Some must be on the run from the harsh pandemic reality. They throw themselves into their South African bubble of wealth, euphoric with holiday feelings, locked in their security areas. Rarely have I experienced such a controversy as here, between poverty and wealth, hopelessness and freedom, in the middle of the urban jungle, surrounded by the endless expanses of nature.
Uninhibited by kite sport, Tina starts talking to me about Cape Town. The Mecca of kitesurfers, the melting pot of the Big Air community, and host of the King of the Air.

Tina: “I just don’t get why this sport is supposed to be fun? Don’t people frequently crash into each other? I’d rather go up the mountain, there I’ll have my peace!”

Chris: “Kiting is a classic lifestyle sport, it’s mostly about seeing and being seen. The hustle and bustle on the water must seem very chaotic to you. 😉 It’s also getting busier every year, but let’s talk about something different. How’s your pop-up location going?”

Tina: “It’s going great, I’ve finally fulfilled my wish and created a space for small and big ideas. Everyone can realize their potential there and everyone is always welcome to stop by for a coffee.”

Chris: “I didn’t know you were the type, I always thought you liked the wilderness and rainy weather. Classic Scandinavian! Not that you look like one, but still a move I’d not expect. 😉”

Tina: “Yes, yes, but I think the interaction between us humans was lost during the pandemic. We need to sit around the same table as we are now and talk about topics that are important to us. In my self-employment I worked for a long time at the kitchen table, that was my feel-good place, I now want to give this flair to others. When drinking coffee, people come together and the most creative ideas emerge.”

Chris: “A truly beautiful thought! As soon as I’m back in Austria, I’d be happy to visit for creative exchange. You like to travel, is the place closed when the boss isn’t in town?”

Tina: “The boss, haha, no, we are three girls and a cookie. For the time being, the ladies can let off steam in Fika! The place is to be used as a hideaway or photo & design studio and is a concept store on top of it. We not only have coffee but also ceramics, specially created is-ma-wurscht sweaters, magazines, natural wines, and other little things to take away.” 😀

Chris: “Let me guess, the bear serves a cookie a day, and the ladies film it with their smartphones. Then the story goes viral and everyone is happy?” 😛

Tina: “Exactly… No, the bear is my dog ​​and the cookie is my colleague’s. Of course, other dogs are always welcome!”

Chris: “Haha, good thing we cleared that up too. Let’s talk about our first project, the RADICAL Artist Collab. At FLYSURFER we wanted to tell a story with the twin tip boards and introduce the people we work with. How did your motifs come about?”

Tina: “As always, they happened to me. I don’t take photographs specifically when I travel, but rather spontaneously. A little something from everywhere, mostly details that others don’t see. I feel that my pictures still have real added value. Capturing smiling faces and feelings of happiness gives me a lot in return.”

Chris: “Currently, photos are only worth a swipe on your smartphone. I like to catch myself distributing my likes in an extremely superficial way. It’s nice when you look at the children’s books that our parents have created from time to time. By the way, the old man with an umbrella in the middle of RADICAL makes me think. I would like to ask him a question.”

Chris: “Just a phenomenon of our generation, which is up to mischief on this planet largely without consideration. You are a convinced vegan, prefer to travel in your bus to remote places that are deserted.”

Tina: “I did. He described the hustle and bustle, the noise, and the pollution caused by the visitors. After less than ten thousand tourists walk through the historic old town of Venice every day for a long time, no cruise ships pass by and the tourist boats also standstill, the water is suddenly clearer than it has been for 60 years. Oppressive.”

Tina: “I’ve been vegan for years due to ethnic reasons. In addition, I not only convinced my parents but even my grandmother of this way of life. If I’m not forced to fly professionally, I drive with my four walls (bus) to places where I can spend my time independently and offline. The mountains are usually my favorite destination because they mean absolute freedom to me. In my heart, I’m probably Almresi, haha.” 😀

Chris: “I still have a hard time without my schnitzel. My Co2 footprint isn’t the smallest either, but I’m already looking forward to my visit to Fika36. Hence my last question, what does Fika mean?”

Tina: “Vill du fika? Is Scandinavian and means: Do you want to drink coffee. Fika is the coffee break. I’ll be happy to conjure up the coffee of your choice; with oat milk, of course.”😜

A few months later, I finally visited Tina at Fika36 and gave her a hard copy of our project.

Tina ReiterFika36aLovesomeJourney

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