It’s been almost two years since the Industrial Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) selected Helsinki as the World Design Capital for 2012. Time has passed quickly and now the design year is only a few months away.
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WDC Helsinki 2012 will give a foretaste of its program in mid-September. The entire program will be launched at the end of October.
The borders of the design capital are not meant to be barriers. The globally significant ideology belongs to everyone and the Internet is a suitable medium for a target group this big.
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www.wdchelsinki2012.fi
Helsinki is known for its architecture and unique urban milieu, but many of the interesting places are not open to the public. OpenHouseHelsinki will change that for four days.
Text Ida Kukkapuro
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OpenHouseHelsinki / Open doors/tours
15–18 September 2011
Around Helsinki
The different programs which the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences runs speak of new technology and a better urban environment as part of Helsinki Design Week.
Text Petra Vuolanen
Mirel Wagner is like a music lover’s daydream. The young singer-songwriter from Espoo appeared out of the blue in 2010 and managed to convince even the most dedicated music lovers with her blues-folk sound. Now, Wagner is moving on to win the hearts of the rest of the world’s population.
Text Teemu Fiilin
Photos Hertta Kiiski
Finns who speak Swedish as their native language (Finnswedes) are famous for their casual stylishness. Urban A and Nómad bring their Finnswede owners’ style to Helsinki shoppers. Inspite of this, the owners don’t want to emphasize their Finnswedishness.
Text Sara Karlsson
Photos Niklas Sandström
French Films has shot to indie fame quite quickly. It’s undoubtedly the most blogged about Finnish pop band and one of the first Finnish bands to make waves outside of Finland thanks to foreign music blogs. This year the band is set to fulfill the expectations they have created.
Text Teemu Fiilin
Photos Sanna Lehto
Jussi Pajunen, Mayor of Helsinki:
It is certainly a great honor to carry the title of the World Design Capital 2012, but we are now clearly obliged to act as a trend-setter for other cities to follow.
Being selected as the World Design Capital is not a reward for past actions but a recognition of a promising, internationally interesting design city.
What do Helsinkians want for their city? “A trash bag vending machine for dog poo. ” “Free soda, and more soda machines.” “Designer bird houses in parks, so you could hear birds singing in the winter.”
Text Heini Lehtinen
Besides spinning at Helsinki clubs for seventeen years, DJ Anonymous is known for running a record store, hosting radio shows and countless club nights, publishing a blog, planning festivals and touring the world playing records. What next?
Text Teemu Fiilin
Photos Miika Saksi & Kai Kuusisto
The Newly Drawn exhibition in Helsinki Design Week and the book of the same name take a closer look at the new wave of Finnish architectural firms founded by 1970s-born designers. They are the ones planning the surroundings of our future.
Text Heini Lehtinen
Photos Kai Kuusisto
Light snow 
20X0 – A Journey into the Future
8. October 2011
Heureka – The Finnish Science Centre
Seven Connections – Finnish Architecture Abroad
11. January 2012
Museum of Finnish Architecture
Yellow City – Illustrated Stories from Helsinki
16. January 2012
All around the city
20. January 2012
Kiasma – Museum of Contemporary Art
DesignWorld – Designing the New World
27. January 2012
Design Museum
Bi-monthly magazine about Helsinki. In Finnish and in English.
