In conversation with Alexander Ney
The manager of the IGAFA guest houses supports academics from all over the world in Adlershof
Who could be better suited to be the manager of Internationales Begegnungszentrum (IBZ), a meeting centre and guest house for academics from all over the world, as someone who has travelled extensively himself and got to know a variety of different work environments on the way? After studying Chinese and business management, Alexander Ney once managed a supper club in London and worked in translation, for several start-ups, at Lufthansa, and as a photographer. Today, he has found a home, as he puts it, at the Joint Initiative of Non-University Affiliated Research Institutes in Adlershof e.V. (IGAFA).
Adlershof Journal: What is the nature of your work as a first point of contact for visiting scholars in Berlin?
Alexander Ney: I appreciate personal exchanges with people from a wide variety of cultures. We are currently providing a temporary home to scientists from India, China, Sudan, Ukraine, Italy, France, and Korea. More often than not, our work is not just about providing a place to live, which is what the IBZs in Adlershof and Köpenick primarily do. I also help find German courses, schools, and internet providers, or simply open a bank account. None of these things are particularly easy in Germany. Only recently, I met one of Berlin’s experts for wild animals because we had a beaver in the garden of our Köpenick-based guest house, which was a little too committed to “landscape management”. It’s this variety that I enjoy.
How do you receive inquiries?
In very different ways. We have a contact form on our website, of course. Sometimes our IGAFA member institutes approach us on behalf of visiting scholars, sometimes they contact us themselves. We also point people towards other portals because the 52 flats and flat share rooms at our guest houses in Adlershof and Köpenick are virtually always at full capacity.
The meeting centres are supposed to be places for networking. What do you do to help this idea along?
Due to the physical proximity, the people staying at our guest houses naturally meet each other. But we also support the idea of networking through a variety of events, including barbecues, open house days, or excursions to Technology Park Adlershof. We also visited concerts of the Berlin Philharmonic together. I love climbing, so I could easily imagine doing that as an event together.
What do you do when you’re not in Adlershof?
Many things: I love to travel, learn new languages, and cook. I ran a supper club in London once – a great combination of my love for food and being social. I read and love listening to music. I also like knitting, preferably complicated patterns. I’ve had a garden for some time now, too. It’s quite large and so there’s always something to do. And I create images.
What does that mean exactly?
For as long as I can remember, I've had a camera and I've been taking photographs. My Leica is with me every day. My father introduced me to photography, although he was more of a technician. For me, it’s more about the artistic side, when I have landscapes, architecture, or people in front of my lens. With its aviation monuments, for example, Technology Park is a rewarding place for photography. My dream one day would be to stage circus artists in the historic Great Wind Tunnel.
Peggy Mory for Adlershof Journal