H e l s i n k i - i n f o Issue 3 – 2011 May 30 English Supplement Contents 2 "We are the Champions" 3 Discovering weak signals 5 Helsinki Festival highlights 6 Finlandia Hall in transition 8 Bringing up cosmopolites 9 Glossary 10 Helsinki Day 12.6. & Helsinki Week Art Programme 12 Helsinki to celebrate is about bicentennial in 2012 12 City planning in a nutshell observation of change Page 3 Helsinki celebrates all summer Page 10 Rhinoceros Oy English Supplement ”We are the Champions” PAGE FRONT Seppo Laakso / City of Helsinki About 100 000 people gathered The celebration went on all land played in Slovakia a total of in the Helsinki city centre to cel- night long in different venues nine matches and won eight of ebrate Finland´s World Ice around the city. them. Hockey Champion team on May The Finnish men’s ice hockey This was the second time ever 16. A stage had been con- team, known as the ”Lions” or that Finland won the World Ice structed on the Market Square in Finnish ”Leijonat”, beat the Hockey Championship, the last and the crowd was entertained Swedish team in final by a score time being in 1995. by top bands while waiting for of 6–1. Each of the goals was the hockey heroes. made by a different player. Fin- English Supplement Discovering weak signals By Johanna Lemola Helsinki Festival defines its place in society: art and culture PAGE are in the core when Helsinki FRONT adjusts to new realities. “Our theme at the festival this year is the capacity of people to identify with strangers and to see the world through their eyes,” says Erik Söderblom, “Art should respond to existing Director of Helsinki Festival. signals,” says Helsinki Festival He comments on the theme director Erik Söderblom. saying, “Finland is a remote “Cultural encounters and country, and we must actively clashes are obvious in our seek and incorporate influences present, and therefore they are from elsewhere.” Here Helsinki our theme at the festival and Festival plays a role. reflected in the programme.” Rhinoceros Oy English Supplement “On a larger scale, art is about in the Töölö Bay area – a spec- of art is a form of isolation, observation of change, and art tacular stage for performances. where one important layer of life offers an individual means to The total audience exceeds is missing.” manage change at both emo- 200,000 each year. “We lay our nets into the tional and intellectual levels,” “A festival is an efficient way stream of time and present our Söderblom continues on the to produce culture,” Söderblom catch to people,” Söderblom larger mission of the festival. says, pointing out that the entire continues on the philosophical “Art is more real than reality, programme is produced with a mode about the role of the festi- and yet it’s detached from real- total budget of a mere €3.5 mil- val in society. ity. As such, art creates proto- lion. “Art and culture are part of a types and allows us to test Rhinoceros Oy Helsinki Festival actively asks bigger movement, and Helsinki them.” citizens to understand, enjoy and Festival becomes part of our PAGE A well-known theatre and from late August to early Sep- benefit from art and culture. mental landscape.” opera director, Söderblom came tember, the festival brings more “We also want to work with “Art is a vital part of the circu- FRONT from drama education to accept than 500 events and up to schools to provide young people lation of society,” he empha- the Helsinki Festival director’s 1,000 Finnish and international with the ‘fix to get the kicks’ out sizes. “Take art away, and the position in 2009. He followed a artists to the Finnish capital each of art,” Söderblom says outlining health of society suffers.” series of festival leaders who year. the festival’s efforts to recruit According to Söderblom, the City have built Helsinki Festival into The programme features both new audiences – for their own of Helsinki has a well thought- the biggest and most diverse classical and world music, thea- benefit. “Lack of understanding out cultural strategy at this time programme on Finland’s annual tre, dance, visual arts, circus, of fast change when society is cultural calendar. Starting out as children’s events, and city becoming more and more reliant a classical music event more projects including the Night of Art in on services. than 40 years ago, the festival the Arts, which offers numerous On this background, the overall has grown to embrace many happenings throughout the city society task of Helsinki Festival is to other forms of culture and has late into the night. The festival – larger maintain and strengthen the role moved out into the city. spreads itself across the city and of art and culture in Helsinki, to Over two and a half weeks pitches the Huvila Festival Tent than life. make Helsinki a stronger city. English Supplement Helsinki Festival highlights Via Intolleranza II leads the audi- conflicted history at Helsinki ests to the city. Animal figures are ence at the National Theatre Music Centre. produced in free public work- through Africa to examine the Samoan choreographer Lemi shops and taken to the streets on relationship of the western and Ponifasio studies the relationship the Night of the Arts. developing worlds. The last work of consumer society with nature, One of the 17 nights at the of the celebrated German stage taking a shamanistic dive into Huvila Festival Tent is dedicated to director Christoph Schlingen- archetypes through Ponifasio’s AfroCubism, which combines ele- sief explores dimensions of unique style of contemporary European cultural interventions dance at Helsinki City Theatre. by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt PAGE in the third world. The Bearded Lady by the French Weill at the Savoy theatre. Jordi Savall’s Jerusalem circus artist and ventriloquist Le voyage is a large site-spe- FRONT encompasses musical styles from Jeanne Mordoj takes a look at cific happening at Cable Factory, classical to world music. Draw- gender roles at the new circus performed by a multicultural ing on Jewish, Christian and Cirko Center in Suvilahti. group of dancers, a choir, solo- Muslim heritage, it is a journey Belgian painter Michaël Bor- ists and the Helsinki Philhar- through this holy city’s rich and remans fills Kunsthalle. His monic Orchestra. It invites works depict a somehow familiar ments from Cuban and Malian families to join in on a trip but strange world. Finnish visual music. The phenomenon expressed around the world. The perform- artist Terike Haapoja’s installa- by AfroCubism first gave rise to ance is based on music by the tion at Amos Anderson blends Buena Vista Social Club. famous Finnish composer Erik the boundaries between species. The UMO Jazz Orchestra, Avanti! Bergman. Human Cities – animals visiting Chamber Orchestra and Music the city – by South African Roger Theatre Kapsäkki join forces and See the entire festival Titley and Israeli Airan Berg bring on stage the legendary programme at brings animals from Finland’s for- unconventional opera Mahagonny www.helsinkifestival.fi English Supplement Patrik Lindström Patrik Finlandia Hall is undergoing the biggest period of change in its history. The completion of Helsinki Music Centre will change Finlandia Hall’s profile from its original role as a concert and event cen- tre. At the same time, a new extension will give the hall new PAGE facilities, including a café that opens to the public in August. FRONT “More human oriented, attuned to the times, relaxed and fun,” Finlandia Hall’s direc- tor Auni Palo outlines the hall’s new identity. Finlandia Hall, turning 40 this year, is one of Finland’s icons, as its name also suggests. This remarkable white-marble and granite building designed by Finlandia Hall Alvar Aalto was completed in 1971. in transition Director Auni Palo. English Supplement Café Music groups in Helsinki had The total number of visitors was Veranda function as an exhibition space.” for a hundred years dreamed about 300,000. Finlandia Hall will acquire about a proper concert hall that The major tenants of the hall, opens in 2,200 square metres of new would give the city’s orchestra a the Helsinki Philharmonic Orches- floor space. The extension has regular performance and tra and Finnish Radio Symphony August. been designed by A-Konsultit rehearsal space. Orchestra, will move to Helsinki Architects. Interior design is by From the very beginning Fin- Music Centre, which opens its A new extension called Finlan- Jaakko Puro. landia Hall has also served as a doors at the end of August. A dia Veranda opens to the park “The solutions meet the needs congress venue. A congress wing new era will begin in Helsinki’s through a glass wall. of the times, but the new facili- was completed in 1975, but the concert and meetings scenes. This striking glass element ties have been designed in close hall had hosted major meetings “Finlandia Hall will be a new stretches over the entire Töölö co-operation with the National and summits for world leaders type of centre for congresses Bay side of the building. Board of Antiquities and with PAGE even before. and various events,” says Palo, “We will have four new adjust- respect to the spirit of Aalto,” Last year Finlandia Hall hosted who has led the hall for 12 able facilities for meetings and Palo points out. FRONT 27 international and 313 years. “Music will continue to receptions,” Palo explains. www.finlandiatalo.fi domestic meetings, 29 recep- feature on the hall’s programme, “Right next to the extension will tions and 133 concerts (97 of but the emphasis will no longer be Café Veranda, a modern pub- them classical music concerts).