Helsinki Design Week 2020
A confirmed design event in 2020 is rare and it is great to announce that Helsinki Design Week 2020 is going ahead from 3 to 13 September.
Launched in 2005, Helsinki Design Week is one of the first design weeks in Europe and remains the largest in Northern Europe. In 2020, the main venue will be the recently renovated Helsinki Olympic Stadium. From September 11th to 13th, It will host the main exhibition, the Children’s Design Weekend and the PechaKucha Night.
The COVID-19 situation also impacts the design festival. The organisers have applied strict measures and rules to have a responsible event. A series of arranged events of various sizes, not a single mass event.
Here is a brief overview of Helsinki Design Week’s programme:
Designs for a Cooler Planet Exhibition
Last year, Helsinki Design Week started intense cooperation with Aalto University. This year, the event will address new materials, including bioglue, cellulose foam and wood glitter, and present a “multisensual” seaweed pavillion and the Fungi exhibition about future mushroom potential.
There will be a Climate College held at the City Hall, the speakers of which are to provide various solutions for a more environmentally friendly future in cities. On September 2nd, a special edition of Pecha Kucha will take place: Ten presentations, some of which by Aalto University researchers and designers.
At the Design Museum, the Soil Matters exhibition will make our soil more visible and encourage visitors to study their relationship with earth. The exhibition will address the materiality of soil through design and artistic research.
Design Market (3-5 September)
One of the most popular event with more than 20,000 visitors every year, the Design Market will this year take place online and in various retail stores.
This year’s theme of the festival, Commitment Matters, is reflected at the Design Market, too. Helsinki Design Week have selected sales partners committed to offering environmentally friendly and sustainably made products.
Climate College (4 September)
The Climate College introduces interesting speakers and viewpoints about urban planning and an eco-friendly future in cities. The day is hosted by the City of Helsinki as a part of Helsinki Design Week 2020. The Mayor of Helsinki, Jan Vapaavuori, will open the day. As a keynote speaker, journalist and writer Pasi Toiviainen will talk about how cities can tackle climate change. During the day, we will hear from urban planning experts Kalle Vaismaa, Alpo Tani and many more, who all offer different solutions for a more eco-friendly future.
Open Studios (4 & 11 September)
Helsinki Design Week has always organised Open Studios to offer those interested an opportunity to see how and where creative work is done. This casual evening consists of a guided tour, during which we’ll meet architects and graphic and other designers operating in Helsinki. This event is an opportunity for all Helsinki citizens to get to know the creatives of our city: the ones whose work impacts us all in the form of buildings, signs, services and all kinds of systems.
Design Diplomacy (4–10 September)
Design Diplomacy is an exciting discussion concept featuring two designers asking each other questions printed on cards. Each discussion is had in English and lasts about half an hour, including questions about creative work, for example: “How would your first boss describe you?” or “If you could change one thing about your country’s design education, what would it be?” The ambassadors’ residencies in Helsinki, representing the best of each country’s interior design and rarely shown for general public, serve as venues for these discussions. The Design Diplomacy visitors will have the opportunity to peek behind normally closed doors where important diplomatic negotiations take place. Due to this exceptional year and the rarely available venues, it is obligatory to register in advance and we have fewer seats to offer. The event usually takes about one and a half hours in total, including the discussion, some mingling and refreshments.
These events are free of charge.
Data-Driven Design Day DDDD (8 September)
For its 6th edition, DDDD is exceptionally organised as a digital conference that can be participated from any location. This year’s theme is “Committed to Excellent Services for Everyone”, and the presentations will once again provide new viewpoints to data-driven service design. Under this title, presentations were collected to provide new viewpoints to data-driven service design. Service design, if any, involves an intriguing cross-purpose: It involves qualitative data, interpretation and intuition. Yet, certain important parts of the process utilize and emphasize rational, numeric, quantitative data. Which is the correct ratio for these? Speakers include experts from YLE, HRT and Helen.
Main exhibition “Citius, altius, fortius” or “Less Is More” (11-19 September)
Just like sports, design encompasses various disciplines. They attract individuals with natural talents, but becoming a champion requires thousands of hours of practice. In its main exhibition, Helsinki Design Week is to introduce creatives in various stages of their careers. These include an installation made of concrete and mycelium by studio Caracara, Seitikki installation by carpenter Antrei Hartikainen and an exhibition of benches curated by Jasper Morrison. The youth category is for gaining experience and breaking personal records. National and international recognition is achieved through expertise and vision. All participants aim for gold. The trophy shines behind the finish line at the final curve of the Design Track & Field exhibition.
The Open Screens series (11-13 September)
3D animations integrated in the city space will be presented on the billboards around the centre of Helsinki. This field of design has risen to prominence in recent years and is strongly influencing the visuals and storytelling in digital environments. The Open Screens include works from 3D designer Vilja Achté, Wang & Söderström, Anna Alanko, Ada Sokol and Matti Vesanen.
PechaKucha (12 September)
On September 12th, Helsinki Design Week will host the largest PechaKucha Night in Europe. On the stage located on the green of the Stadium, guests will include from Helsinki’s Deputy Mayor Anni Sinnemäki; Director of the Aalto film Virpi Suutari; CEO of Hakola Anna-Leena Hakola and architect Teemu Kurkela. “In addition to a unique architectural experience, the Olympic Stadium provides us with an exceptionally spacious venue. We can let 1,000 people attend the PechaKucha Night in the grandstand outside without compromising the safety distances,” says festival director Kari Korkman.
Children’s Design Weekend (12-13 September)
Children are the festival’s guests of honour during the weekend at the Olympic Stadium. Entrance is free. The programme will feature a fun and engaging route designed by design duo Anna van der Lei and Kristos Mavrostomos around the famous green of the Olympic Stadium. Families can enter this kids’ event freely.
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Pictures by Sini Pennanen, Aleksi_Poutanen, Helsinki Design Week.
