The theme of this year’s Helsinki Design Week (HDW), Once upon a time, marks the start of a three-year festival period that will culminate in the 20th anniversary of HDW in 2025. This September’s festival will tell the stories of the city’s creative makers and also give children an opportunity to share their thoughts on the city. The festival programme features exhibitions, discussions, parties, sales events, open doors, fashion shows and much, much more.
Learn more about this year’s theme on Helsinki Design Week’s website(Link leads to external service).
Main exhibition at Merikortteli to tackle changes in work and living spaces
Helsinki Design Week’s main venue at Merikortteli in Punavuori offers an atmospheric and historical setting for exhibitions, talks and encounters on 13–17 September. The main events at Merikortteli, which is owned by property investment company Antilooppi, will be held on the top floor of the building.
The main exhibition examines the building of good everyday life amid changing work and living spaces across different rooms in the home, through communal and shared spaces towards private, personal places. The exhibition is curated by Ulla Koskinen, Editor-in-Chief of Asun Magazine, with designer Lauri Johansson as the exhibition architect. Tickets to the main exhibition are now available for purchase via Tiketti.
In addition to the main exhibition, the top floor of Merikortteli will be hosting a varied talks programme. The Let Me Wine Bar x HDW will also open above the city roofs for the duration of the event.
You can also tune into the new, rebellious edge of design on Merikortteli’s ground floor, where the spaces will be taken over by Aalto University students from different fields, among others. On display will be prototypes and installations from emerging creators in the fields of interior architecture and lighting.
Read more about the main venue Merikortteli on Helsinki Design Week’s website(Link leads to external service).
Helsinki Design Award to be awarded to a design educator
This year, Helsinki Design Week’s and the City of Helsinki’s shared Helsinki Design Award will be awarded to a person or working group that has promoted design education in Helsinki.
Design education is all about multidisciplinary, creative problem-solving and providing students with the means to tackle future challenges, think boldly and discover new, creative ways of perceiving the environment.
The winner of the Helsinki Design Award will be announced as part of the opening of HDW’s main exhibition.
Learn more about design education on the design.hel.fi website(Link leads to external service).
Learn more about the winner of the 2022 Helsinki Design Award Päivi Raivio on the design.hel.fi website(Link leads to external service).
Children’s Design Week gives the floor to the city’s smallest residents: What does a children’s city look like?
Children’s Design Week, an integral part of HDW’s programme, this year celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Finnish Association of Design Learning (SuoMu). SuoMu encourages everyone to explore design methods with curiosity and a playful mind.
Children’s Design Week will take place at both the main event venue and at Kaapelitehdas. Its highlight will be a demonstration where young participants can imagine their own ideal city. Children’s Design Week is centred around approachable, free of charge activities cultivating togetherness.
As part of the City of Helsinki’s cultural path for 5th graders, Helsinki Design Week invites schoolchildren to participate in the festival in the form of PechaKucha. Schools can hold PechaKucha presentations based on Helsinki Design Week’s instructions in class, at schools and at Annantalo on Friday 15 September.
Explore the full autumn festival programme on Helsinki Design Week’s website(Link leads to external service).
Helsinki Design Week will be held on 8–17 September 2023.
The City of Helsinki is Helsinki Design Week’s main partner.