Stories take over the city during Helsinki Design Week

 

The week of events, exhibitions and publications is in itself a story conveying the message of design. Helsinki Design Week offers design professionals a unique opportunity to showcase design expertise and diversity and allows all those involved to be a part of the story.

 

The 2010 programme of Helsinki Design Week is structured on a “Past-Present-Future” timeline. The week begins at the roots of Finnish history, as a new structure that draws its inspiration from the Finnish national epic Kalevala is dedicated on the island of Seurasaari. The “Past” section also includes the Design Market, where the past year’s design items are on sale. Trade show events represent the “Present”, and a party for the younger participants in Helsinki Design Week stands for the “Future”.

First organized in 2005, Helsinki Design Week includes exhibitions, seminars, workshops, fashion shows and shopping experiences, as well as open houses at private homes, public buildings and design studios.

 

Helsinki Design Week, August 26 - September 5, 2010

Helsinki Design Week and international collaboration

Helsinki Design Week is building a network of international design events, to partner first with Dutch Design Week. Kari Korkman, the founder and director of Helsinki Design Week, emphasizes the importance of interaction: “Internationalization is often viewed as a one-sided export activity, but it needs to involve bringing new ideas and skills to our native soil as well. A natural internationalization strategy for Helsinki Design Week is to generate collaboration with similar organizations and events."

Picks from Helsinki Design Week’s programme:

The Designpartners exhibition, curated by Kari Korkman, presents a wide-ranging overview of design at the Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre during the Habitare trade fair.

 
In Windows Installations, display windows of Helsinki businesses and galleries are transformed into playgrounds for artists and designers.

 

The OpenHouseHelsinki tours offer citizens and visitors opportunities to visit some of Helsinki’s most interesting spaces, buildings and neighbourhoods, which are normally closed to the general public.

 

In Open Studios, citizens and visitors have a unique opportunity to get a glimpse into the work of designers and design studios, as a number of creative professionals open their doors to the public.

 

The Shaman’s Haven of the Kalevala is a monument-building inspired by the Finnish national epic Kalevala, designed and built by a group of international students.

 

DIY Fashion, Helsinki Design Week and the Union of Rural Education and Culture are looking for self-taught fashion designers. The most innovative DIY creations will be included in an exhibition and fashion show during Helsinki Design Week. The selection criteria are novelty value, creative madness and invention, as we celebrate Finnish oddity.

 

The End of Story: Future looks to the future, as young up-and-coming talents from various fields present their skills and introduce products they have designed under the theme of storytelling.