FINLAND IS A NATION OF EXTREMES. THE SYMPHONY OF EXTREMES – BORN FROM FINNISH DNA IS A PROJECT WHERE WE EXAMINE OUR HERITAGE AND TURN IT INTO MUSIC THAT REFLECTS THESE EXTREMES. Finland is a nation of extreme differences. Not only in our seasons and nature, but people as well. To celebrate Finland’s centennial, Visit Finland delves into the nation’s character more vocally than ever before by turning the Finnish genotype into music. SymphonyofExtremes.com EASTERN AND WESTERN FINNS RESEMBLE EACH OTHER LESS THAN GERMANS AND BRITS DO. WHY? WHAT? Authenticity is currently a major trend in tourism. The Symphony of Extremes is a project where Travellers are interested in local people and Eicca Toppinen from Apocalyptica composed their ways of life. The Symphony of Extremes is a song based on DNA samples sourced from crafted to their needs. Finland. The genre-crossing song will be premiered on 13 November 2017. Our current age of media spin dictates a need for new ideas that transcend boundaries and The project’s first phase followed the composition attract attention. Ideas that feel genuinely fresh process and introduced a number of interesting and evocative. The Symphony of Extremes is people behind the genes. They each exhibit some a project that unites tourism with science and art extreme and distinctively Finnish trait, such as in a fascinating way. Finnish grit (“sisu”) or a strong bond with the Arctic. Finland is at the crossroads of east and west. The next stage focuses on the music and its Our roots straddle the border: composition. Instead of using generic travel imagery, the project dives deep into Finland’s psyche in order western Finland is influenced by Europe’s ancient to introduce international audiences to our cultural agrarian culture and Scandinavian DNA, while the core. The aim is to illustrate what makes Finland east and north come from an age-old line of hunter- unique – and worth a visit. gatherers. Eastern and western Finns resemble each other less than Germans and Brits do. It is a The Symphony of Extremes is a captivating true fascinating equation, since Finland is also one of story that turns exceptional ingredients into an the most uniform, equalitarian and safe nations in international topic. the world. HOW? The Symphony of Extremes brings together The project has followed the composition process a number of professionals at the apex of throughout the year, from gathering the DNA their fields. samples to premiering the finished product on 13 November 2017. Jonathan Middleton, visiting professor at the University of Tampere, has developed a program The Symphony of Extremes is published as a music that can create sounds from the base pairs video. The project is housed on visitfinland.com, found in DNA. His work gave a starting point for where Finland’s four major regions and their Eicca Toppinen, from metal group Apocalyptica, unique appeal are introduced through inspiring who composed an original song based on Finnish personal stories. extremes – with the help of geneticists and DNA samples. WHO? Visit Finland, a unit of Finpro, is a national authority on tourism and an active force in promoting international travel to Finland. Their main goal is to develop Finland’s international image as a destination. Visit Finland supports the travel industry through research and helps businesses and groups develop products and services for the international market. Eicca Toppinen is the composer and a founding member of Apocalyptica. Founded in 1993, Apocalyptica was first known for covering Metallica songs on the cello. However, their second album already featured original compositions and the group has continued to grow into their own ever since. Their music has been labelled cello rock (their own definition), symphonic metal, neoclassical metal and progressive metal. The group has sold more than four and a half million albums globally. Päivi Onkamo was the professor of genetics at Helsinki University up to November 2017. Onkamo studies the DNA of ancient peoples in and around Finland. Who lived here then? What are modern Finns made of? The University of Helsinki is Finland’s oldest and largest university of sciences and an international community of 40,000 people. International rankings typically put Helsinki University into the top 100 worldwide. The university has harnessed the power of science to benefit society, education and health since 1640. Jonathan Middleton is a composer from Spokane who teaches composition at Eastern Washington University. During the project, Middleton was a guest professor at the University of Tampere. His work is based on algorithmic processes that help him transform natural elements into music. Janna Saarela is the head of research at FIMM, Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland. Saarela’s role in the project is to collect the DNA samples and analyse the results. FIMM is an international research institute focused on human genomics and personalised medicine. The institute works to discover disease mechanisms on a molecular level with the help of genetics and medical systems biology. Their goal is to provide research data to healthcare professionals and promote personalised medicine. Musuta Ltd & Directors Guild Helsinki Musuta is an internationally acclaimed designer and director duo formed by Timo and Jopsu Ramu. Their clients in Finland and Japan include Issey Miyake, New Balance, Muji, James Bond 007, Star Alliance, Shiseido, Nokia, Finnair, Iittala and numerous other international brands. Elements 1 Trailer 2 Project video 3 Four video profiles 4 Key visual images 5 Photos 6 SymphonyofExtremes.com 7 Regional videos 8 My Stay products* 9 Music video THE MUSIC VIDEO WILL BE PUBLISHED 13 NOV 2017. *My Stay is a product database housed under the Visit Finland website. It contains key travel products from different regions, making it a breeze to plan and book your holiday in Finland. visitfinland.com/mystay Share & follow: # FinnishDNA | # VisitFinland i SUMMARY Idea: Finland is a nation of extremes. Let’s turn our heritage into music that celebrates these qualities. Why? World-weary travellers are drawn to authenticity and extremes. How? We will promote Finland through work that reflects our inherent extremes. These qualities are discussed in the profiles. The final product is a music video for a symphony based on Finnish DNA. .