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World video travel guide
Summer in World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 is Inviting – it’s time to participate!
World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 has a full schedule this summer, making the region formed by Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen and Lahti an exceptionally interesting destination for all visitors. WDC Helsinki 2012 is welcoming all international guests and also encourages local travel and ‘staycationing’.
“This is a great time to take a look at and participate in the WDC Helsinki 2012 programme of events. The Pavilion, numerous exhibitions and events, and diverse route plans are all very inviting. It is also possible to look at familiar places from new perspectives. The world design capital year has inspired many participants to try out new things,” mentions the WDC Helsinki 2012 Programme Director, Kaarina Gould.
The Pavilion, Design District Helsinki, museums and much more
The Pavilion is a public meeting place, opened in the heart of Helsinki for the summer, which allows visitors to see and experience what World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 is all about. It offers free events, ranging from design markets to workshops, and from lunchtime yoga to expert panel discussions.
The Pavilion’s programme is perfectly complemented by exhibitions at the Design Museum Helsinki and the Museum of Finnish Architecture this summer: Builders of the Future at the Design Museum dives into recent Finnish history and the golden age of design. Meanwhile, Finnish Architecture 2010/2011 at the Museum of Finnish Architecture provides a glimpse into what has been going on in architecture in Finland in the last two years.
Design District Helsinki has a special theme week from 7 to 10 June, but the area is full of things to see and do all summer. One way to get to know the district is on walking tours conducted by Helsinki Expert and Visit Helsinki.
In early summer, the Cable Factory in Helsinki will inaugurate one of the major exhibitions of the WDC Helsinki 2012 year, HI Design 2012. The exhibition will present the hard core of Finnish design, allowing visitors to learn about heavy industry machines and equipment.
The Finnish Association of Designers, Ornamo, will celebrate its centenary with the exhibition Ornamo 100: Hands that Draw the Future at Kunsthalle Helsinki. Meanwhile, Made in Helsinki, an exhibition at the Hakasalmi Villa of Helsinki City Museum, showcases Helsinki-based design from the eighteenth century to today, and Camouflage at the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma will focus on the interaction between contemporary art and contemporary design. Other design-related exhibitions can be found at the Museum of Technology, Virka Galleria, the Laituri exhibition space and the Laboratory gallery, among others.
Explore with routes, maps and mobile apps
Visitors to World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 will find guidance in the form of diverse maps, routes and the WDC 2012 mobile app, which is free to download into smartphones and is easy to carry around in one’s pocket. In addition, the WDC Helsinki 2012 website has several route plans for independent familiarisation with the cities. The website also has a weekly list of recommended events and highlights from the Pavilion\'s programme.
There are also maps that stand out from your usual tourist publications: the Font Walk is a guide to graphic design in Helsinki, while KONE’s Helsinki Design Reference Tour provides new perspectives on sights such as the Olympic Stadium Tower or the work of Alvar Aalto through lifts. Design-focused walking and cycling routes have also been prepared for Lahti and Rovaniemi, and a map of the Helsinki Design District is available in print.
New sights attract attention and encourage participation
One of the most visible new landmarks of WDC Helsinki 2012, the Chapel of Silence in Kamppi, offers experiences every day this summer. Wonderwater Café Kiasma uses design techniques to draw attention to the water footprint of food, i.e. the quantity of water needed to produce the things we eat.
The Get in Form fitness facility opened along the jogging path at Töölönlahti Bay challenges people to exercise on impulse. There are four locations with fitness equipment on a route which passes many architecturally valuable sights, ranging from old wooden villas in Linnunlaulu to the new Music Centre. Those interested in gardening and urban produce growing must visit the Turn Table Urban Garden in Pasila.
Summer events in Espoo, Vantaa and Lahti
The best introduction into the WDC Helsinki 2012 project in the City of Espoo can be found at WeeGee. The centre comprises five separate museums, whose exhibitions include the fully restored Futuro House (including related events), the Responsible Design Series and Global Nordic Design 2012. Also at WeeGee is the Design Espoo! space, which presents Espoo’s programme for the year.
Guests are greeted already at the Helsinki Airport. Design is evident in the airport’s award-winning architecture, the terminals’ high interior design and the stores’ product selections, as well as the airport’s modern service solutions. Other must-see sights in the City of Vantaa are the Vantaa Design Window and Heureka’s 20x0 – A Journey into the Future exhibition, both in Tikkurila, and Vantaa Art Museum’s 6 Scenes of Beauty in Myyrmäki.
In City of Lahti, the first stop for visitors should be the Muotohuoltamo Centre, which provides an introduction to the projects of the World Design Capital year. More design can be found at Sibelius Hall, which will display design products from Lahti-based industrial companies, among other things. The harbour and the Wood Architecture Park are perfect additions to a schedule for visiting Lahti. Day trips can be made to Pyhäniemi Manor in Hollola, where there is an exhibition of art and design this summer.
New and improved design shopping opportunities
Helsinki has many opportunities for design shopping. The newest addition is the Finnish Design Shop, to be opened on 11 June, which will fill the entire ground floor of a beautiful old Customs House. Shopping is easy: select the products in the store and they will be delivered to your door later. The Finnish Design Market at the main market square, on the other hand, brings together Finnish handcrafts and design products. The design area stands out visually from the rest of the market, so it is easy to find.
The Design Forum Shop, located at the heart of the Design District, has a frequently updated, comprehensive and unique selection of Finnish design products, including both classics and novelties, and everything from industrial design to one-of-a-kind items. The shop has articles from more than 200 designers and companies, as well as the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012’s own range of products. The Argos Hall in Stockmann will also sell the WDC Helsinki 2012 products all summer, under the theme of Feels like Finland.
WDC Helsinki 2012 summer ends in August
The busiest time of WDC Helsinki 2012 is scheduled for September 2012, and things will begin to accelerate already in August. Fashion will be shown at the HEL_FWRD / Fashion Village at Senate Square, while design and lifestyle competence will be showcased at the Helsinki Design Open in Rautatalo. The Tomás Saraceno exhibition will start at Kunsthalle Helsinki, while the cross-disciplinary Boutique exhibition will bring together fashion, art, dance and music at the Amos Anderson Art Museum, both in collaboration with the Helsinki Festival. The programme for August also includes a partnership with the Flow Festival.
