The Beginning
My journey with computers started with a 486DX2 and a 56k modem - the kind where you had to yell at your mom to get off the phone before you could connect to the internet. My family was one of the first in the neighborhood to get DSL, and from that point on, my fascination with computers and hardware was set.
Growing up, I was part of the early internet culture - file-sharing communities, forums, learning how things worked by taking them apart. That curiosity about how systems operate behind the scenes never left me.
Finding My Path
After Realschule, I tried to become a media designer while working as a website designer and builder on the side to earn money. I've always worked - it's just how I'm wired.
For higher education, I first tried Sensortechnik at Hochschule Karlsruhe, but it was too focused on power engineering and not enough on computers. So I switched to Medientechnik at Hochschule Offenburg, which was a much better fit.
Freelance IT Work
Even before university, I was doing IT work for small businesses — web design, setting up office infrastructure, maintaining servers. That never stopped. Alongside everything else, I've been a freelance IT generalist for almost 20 years now:
- Small office IT: network setup, workstations, backup, ongoing maintenance — one client's entire office IT is still in my hands today
- Web development and hosting for small businesses and clubs — some clients I've maintained for over 10 years
- Self-hosted infrastructure: Nextcloud, WordPress, mail servers, DNS
- Video production and WordPress shop development in the early years
Finding My Calling at ZKM
In 2015, I started at ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe - often called the "digital Bauhaus" and one of the world's first institutions dedicated to media art. That's when everything clicked. Here I found the perfect playground: microcontrollers, computers in all shapes and sizes, and the challenge of writing tools to control and maintain exhibition-scale infrastructure.
I get to combine everything I've learned - from web development to hardware tinkering to system administration - into making digital art actually work in museum environments.
Current Work
These days, my work spans several areas:
- Exhibition Technology: Building and maintaining the systems that keep 500+ artworks running
- 3D Printing: I have a printer at home and introduced 3D printing at ZKM for custom exhibition bases, sensor mounts, and adapters
- AI Implementation: Currently working on AI tools for ZKM employees
- Research: Writing the catalogue for the "Choose Your Filter" browser art exhibition
Beyond the Museum
I've been doing IT for small businesses since before university — and I never stopped. The museum work added a layer of scale and complexity, but the core is the same: understand the system, make it work, keep it secure. Security was always part of the job, whether it's locking down exhibition PCs in a public space or auditing a company's network after a breach.
- IT Security Consulting: Penetration testing and security audits for small and medium businesses — physical security reviews, network analysis, and reports written for business owners
- Self-Hosted Infrastructure: Running and maintaining servers, Nextcloud instances, DNS filtering, and web hosting for long-term clients
- Open Source: Building tools like boxctl (containerized AI agent environments), FilterDNS (self-hosted DNS filtering), and Home Assistant integrations
- Home Automation: Smart home setups with Home Assistant, custom sensor integrations, and energy monitoring
Philosophy
My approach is simple: whatever works. Sometimes that means expensive LiDAR sensors, sometimes it's a Raspberry Pi with a script that presses buttons every hour. I care more about reliable solutions than elegant ones.
I'm a Linux user (not Apple), committed to open source, and believe that solutions that work should be shared with the community. That's why the LiDAR tracking system and other tools are publicly available.