Flamethrowers, Startups, and the Disappearance of Free Space

Details

• Interviewee: Erik Hobijn
• Role: Community Member
• Community: Nieuw en Meer
• Date: 2026-01-14
• Language: en

Summary

In this interview, Erik Hobijn, an inventor, discusses his journey in creating innovative inventions, notably flamethrowers, and the evolving challenges related to freedom and expression in society. He reflects on how societal structures and regulations have shifted over the years, impacting the way ideas are received and transformed into tangible actions. Hobijn highlights the importance of independence in pursuing one's work without reliance on external funding, noting the scarcity of free spaces for creative expression in modern urban environments.

Key quotes

I invented that in the 80s. They have very big flamethrowers, huge fire, sixteen hundred liters.

Freedom has become difficult. If you walk through the city now, every space is monitored.

When you aim at certain problems in society, or when you hold a different opinion and want to express it physically, materially, or psychically, freedom matters.

That is why startups appear everywhere. When ideas push against society, governments, or power structures, risk enters.

Transcript

**[Erik Hobijn]:** My name is Erik Hobijn, and I am an inventor. That is what I do. I invent. It is a mix. It is technical, useful, and esthetic at the same time. That is the origin of the flamethrowers. You see them now on stages everywhere, although they use less fire today. Still, when you shoot on a sound stage with groups, fire is always present.

**[Erik Hobijn]:** I invented that in the 80s. They have very big flamethrowers, huge fire, sixteen hundred liters. I burn it all. It is massive. The flames go up thirty meters. That scale, that aggression, it is restricted. There are measures of pollution, measures of danger. There is limited space to do that.

**[Erik Hobijn]:** Thirty years ago, we squatted. We were part of a group. We had a space in a Quonset hut street. It was a squat, and we were a very heavy group. We burned it when we left. We burned the whole place. They were happy to see us leave, out of the city.

**[Erik Hobijn]:** We wanted to keep going. We wanted to show that we could organize everything ourselves. That is what we have done, working for thirty years without grants. We pay rent and we build everything we need from that rent. It takes discipline, and it brings independence. At this moment there is very little free space.

**[Erik Hobijn]:** Freedom has become difficult. If you walk through the city now, every space is monitored. Every move creates sound. Cameras stand everywhere. Even other people film you. Almost everyone walks with a camera. Raw space for underground action has become rare.

**[Erik Hobijn]:** When you aim at certain problems in society, or when you hold a different opinion and want to express it physically, materially, or psychically, freedom matters. New ideas meet resistance. Opposition appears quickly.

**[Erik Hobijn]:** Socially, that means struggle. Sometimes it means becoming invisible in order to exist. An idea works like a seed. You place it in the ground and let it grow slowly. That applies to ideas as well. Today this process mainly exists through commercial paths.

**[Erik Hobijn]:** That is why startups appear everywhere. When ideas push against society, governments, or power structures, risk enters. In those moments, free space becomes very scarce.