Public transport in Helsinki in 1903. Photo: Helsinki City Museum

Close to one hundred exhibitions focus on design during the year of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 and the coinciding bicentennial of Helsinki as Finland’s capital.

Helsinki City Hall’s Virka Gallery hosts the bicentennial year’s main exhibition, Head and Heart, on view from the beginning of April to mid-June. The exhibition presents multicultural Helsinki from a historical perspective, lists milestones from the past 200 years, and tells stories of sites in the historical Helsinki.

Virka has begun the 2012 exhibition programme with the Finnish Designer Awards exhibition, presenting six distinguished designers awarded by The Finnish Association of Designers Ornamo and The Association of Professional Graphic Designers in Finland Grafia; on view through March 25^th. From late March through September, Virka turns Helsinki City Hall’s legendary lavatories into exhibition spaces as part of the Helsinki Photography Biennale. Woodism in July and August showcases the bold and varied use of locally sourced wood.

Helsinki City Museum celebrates the year with an exceptionally extensive and versatile programme of themed exhibitions. The first of the design-spirited exhibitions, Design in Helsinki Films, opens in mid-February at the museum’s main branch at Sofiankatu 4 and highlights art direction in the nostalgic world of Finnish cinema from the 1930’s to 60’s.

Sederholm House opens its design-year exhibition in May: A Place with a View – Recollections of Pihlajamäki presents the everyday life and design in a Helsinki suburb. The City Museum’s World Design Capital year culminates on Helsinki Day, June 12th, in the opening of Made in Helsinki 1700-2012 at Hakasalmi Villa. This exhibition explores the roots of Helsinki crafts and design with a wide variety of objects.

Helsinki Art Museum examines the relationship between play and art in the exhibition Of Toys and Men (March-May).

Helsinki City Planning Department’s Laituri gallery showcases the winners of the annual Rose for Building 2012 awards that recognize distinguished architecture and planning in Helsinki in an exhibition of the same name, on view through February 25^th. Upcoming exhibitions explore future high-rise building in Helsinki (March) and creating better city life with urban design (May-June).

The City of Helsinki Cultural Office approaches design from multiple angles. Spain Meets Finland presents the work of Manuel Estrada, one of Spain’s most distinguished graphic designers, at The International Cultural Centre Caisa (through March). Annantalo Arts Centre organizes Art Lab workshops where design is approached through various art forms.

Photo: Seppo Laakso / City of Helsinki

Helsinki exceeded the EU limit for nitrogen oxide in the air in 2011 at the Mäkelänkatu measuring station. The 2011 situation was, however, better than in the previous year, when the limit was exceeded at one more measuring station.

The 201 1 average of nitrogen oxide in the air at the Mäkelänkatu station was 50 µg/m3 (microgrammes in cubic metre); the EU limit is 40 µg/m3. Mäkelänkatu suffers from heavy traffic, and the densely built environment slows the dilution of exhaust gases. Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority HSY, which monitors Helsinki air quality at 8 stationary and 3 mobile stations, estimates that the limit is exceeded at other streets with heavy traffic in Helsinki.

Nitrogen oxide concentrations in Helsinki have exceeded the EU-prescribed limit since 2005 and beyond the EU-set deadline in 2010 for curbing concentrations, prompting HSY and the region’s cities to draft and enforce an air protection programme.

Nevertheless, the Helsinki region exceeds the nitrogen oxide limit by narrower margins than many other cities in Europe. Particle concentrations in the air have not exceeded the EU limit in Helsinki since 2006. In comparison with other European metropolitan areas, air quality in Helsinki is good.

The Open Doors Weekend allows the public to see scenes of old Helsinki films at Helsinki City Museum. Pictured is a 1939 parade. Photo: Suomen Filmiteollisuus / KAVA

World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 will be seen and heard throughout Helsinki during February 3-5. More than one hundred events will turn the city into a design carnival that allows everybody to participate in design events, often in unexpected places and in surprising ways.

Senate Square will be a stage for an ice lantern contest. Wonderwater Frozen Lights invites everybody to bring to the square their lanterns and to reflect on water consumption.

The world’s first snow dog park will be designed in Pornaistenniemi, children can design a snowy tower building in Vuosaari, and Kaapelitehdas/Cable Factory will organize a candy architecture workshop.

A seminar on current topics of the everyday living environment at Bio Rex invites both professionals and laymen to participate, Design Museum organizes tours and workshops, Museum of Finnish Architecture presents major Finnish architecture worldwide, and the Chapel of Silence in Kamppi, still under construction, opens its doors to the public.

Helsinki City Museum exhibits design in old movies filmed in Helsinki. Many Helsinki designers hold open studios. Helsinki Design District organizes workshops and a display window exhibition. The Annantalo children’s cultural centre holds an open door weekend with multiple happenings for children.

Helsinki City Planning Department’s Laituri meeting place organizes a picnic on green grass in February, with architecture students selling picnic snacks from a pop-up restaurant, and representatives of World Design Capital Helsinki and Helsinki city planners make presentations.

The Restaurant Day on Saturday, February 4, complements the design weekend’s events with one-day restaurants popping up throughout the city.

More events will be held in Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen and Lahti, the other cities in the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 project.

The weekend’s full programme
World Design Capital Helsinki 2012

An event in 1893 at the Observatory designed by C.L. Engel and completed in 1834. Photo: A.E. Rosenbröijer / Helsinki City Museum

In 2012 Helsinki commemorates the bicentennial of the city’s status as the Finnish capital. Throughout the year, Helsinki residents and visitors are able to enjoy special events and programmes that allow them to take a look at history, as well as enabling them to see glimpses of future Helsinki.

The programme comprises dozens of items, both large and small, informative and artistic, ranging from a downtown parade to exhibitions in suburban public libraries. “Everybody in Helsinki should run into the theme in some connection during 2012,” asserts Hilkka Hytönen, the Helsinki 200 programme’s producer.

“The programme opens up the theme ‘Helsinki as capital’ explaining what the status as capital has meant for Helsinki,” she says. “The programme content highlights the events and developments in Helsinki that have taken place because Helsinki is the nation’s capital. We approach the theme from as many angles as possible.”  

Helsinki’s story as capital exhibited and celebrated

The plan for the new capital, signed by Anders Kocke, 1816-1815. Image: Helsinki City Museum

The Helsinki 200 programme comprises exhibitions, street storytelling, journeys into the city’s history, street art, neighbourhood events, lecture series and development projects.

Some of the key questions related to Helsinki’s status as capital will be answered by Head and Heart, the jubilee year’s main exhibition to be held at Helsinki City Hall’s Virka Gallery, on view from the beginning of April to mid-June. The exhibition will present multicultural Helsinki from a historical perspective, list milestones from the past 200 years, and tell the story of sites in the historical Helsinki.

The year’s first bicentennial exhibition presents Carl Ludwig Engel, the main architect of early Helsinki, revealing the personal side of this iconic man who is an integral part of the capital’s history. The exhibition will be on view at Cultural Centre G 18 throughout the latter part of January.

The many special programmes of the bicentennial year include a mystical blue laser beam that will traverse the street of Unioninkatu, a major axis through the city centre, in late autumn. The laser beam will bind together some of the core institutions of Finland on its course – the academia, government, armed forces and church. The Unioninkatu festival street will host many other programmes, such as transformer boxes on the street turned into backdrops of modern Finnish art.

Helsinki celebrates its bicentennial as World Design Capital. As a result, the Helsinki 200 programme coincides with the programme of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012, which explores dimensions of design through exhibitions, events and a wide range of projects.

Read about Helsinki’s history as the Finnish capital and learn about the bicentennial happenings in Helsinki at the Helsinki 200 website.